Department for Transport

Driving: Medical Examinations

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time for an assessment by the DVLA Drivers Medical Group was for (a) all drivers and (b) drivers requiring re-assessment on a regular basis on medical grounds in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) deals with more than 600,000 medical driver licensing applications annually. The length of time taken to deal with an individual application depends on the medical condition and whether further information is required from medical professionals. For the period April 2015 to March 2016, the average time for an assessment and a licensing decision to be made was 53 working days. Between April 2014 and March 2015, the figure was 58 working days.

Railway Stations: Horden

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had about funding the construction of a new rail station at Horden.

Andrew Jones: Officials from Rail North met with Durham County Council on 21 April to discuss its aspirations for a new station at Horden and potential funding sources, including the New Stations Fund. The new station may also be included in the draft Rail North Single Investment Plan.

Driving: Licensing

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average time was for processing driving licence renewal applications for people over 70 years old in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: In 2015/16, the average time taken to process straightforward applications to renew a driving licence from customers aged 70 and over was three days. Applications that require medical investigations can take longer to process if there is a need to seek further information.

Vauxhall

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has asked Vauxhall to reclassify the root cause of the risk of fire in Zafira B models that have been subject to vehicle safety recalls to include premature corrosion of the blower motor.

Andrew Jones: Vauxhall has not been requested to reclassify the cause of the fires on the Vauxhall Zafira B models that have been subject to vehicle safety recalls, to include premature corrosion of the blower motor. The investigations into the cause of these fires has determined that the fires are occurring as a result of a manipulated heater motor resistor, or under very specific circumstances, the degradation of the heater motor resistor, which can affect the effectiveness of the unit. Vauxhall has, however, included the replacement of the heater blower motor as part of its action to remove the risk to those using Zafiras.

Official Cars

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Government spent on vehicles for (a) Ministers and (b) Senior Civil Servants in each year since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The total Government spend on vehicles for Ministers and Senior Civil Servants will be spread across many Departments including the Metropolitan Police. This information is not held centrally. The fleet size of cars Ministers use in the Government Car Service has reduced from 220 vehicles in 2009/10 to 78 now.

Department for Transport: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to his Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer the Hon Member to the Prime Minister's response of 25th May 2016. This information is not collated centrally by the Department.

Department for Transport: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from his Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what he estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given by my Hon Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (John Penrose) on 8 June 2016 (UIN 38811).

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to assess the potential merits of its proposals on drones to be included in the planned Modern Transport Bill; and what assessment he has made of the need for temporary measures to ensure public safety related to drones until such proposals have been enacted.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There are existing regulations in place that require users of drones to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with their vehicle and to not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. There are severe penalties in place for misuse of drones, such as up to five years imprisonment for endangering an aircraft. The Department for Transport (DfT) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) work with a wide range of industry partners across the aviation sector, (including manufacturers, airports, and airlines), to ensure our understanding of potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date. Further work is underway to better understand the risk posed by flying drones close to commercial planes to ensure that regulations remain fit for purpose. Guidance on tackling the risks of criminal drone use has been provided to constabularies across the UK. The Secretary of State has recently written to Police to request their assistance in raising awareness of drone risks and restrictions. Communication and education of users on current safety restrictions will be key. Officials from my Department are actively considering with the CAA the development of an expanded and diversified communication and education campaign, to include more mediums and supporting products. The Government is planning to consult on a range of measures on drones over the summer, and will then seek any further appropriate legislative measures through the Modern Transport Bill.

Cars: Stafford

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many registered car owners there were in Stafford constituency in each year since 2005.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) records registered keepers of vehicles rather than owners. The number of cars registered since 2005 in the Stafford constituency is not available. However, a snapshot of the DVLA’s vehicle register in February 2016 shows that there were 114,837 vehicles registered to an address in the Stafford constituency.

Travel: Costs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the proportional real terms change in the cost of travelling by (a) private car, (b) bus, (c) train and (d) aeroplane since (i) 1980, (ii) 1997, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport publishes statistics on travel costs, based on data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in the Transport Statistics Great Britain compendium, table 1308. Real terms change in cost of transportMotoring, including the purchase of a vehicleBus and coach faresRail fares(i) Between 1980 and 2015-19%+61%+65%(ii) Between 1997 and 2015-16%+30%+25%(iii) Between 2010 and 2015-10%+5%+7% (d) The costs of travelling by air are not available from ONS data. However estimates are available based on fare data from the Civil Aviation Authority passenger survey from 2000. The real cost of the average UK one-way air fare, including taxes and charges, covering domestic flights from 2010 to 2014 increased by 5%. Estimates for 2015 are not yet available.

A1: Lincolnshire

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason several cameras are being installed on the A1 north of Colsterworth; how many accidents have occurred on the stretch of road being covered by those cameras in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: Highways England are installing average speed cameras on the A1 north of Colsterworth as part of a safety improvement scheme. This is in response to safety concerns in the Stoke Rochford area. Monitoring has identified this site as having a high cluster of collisions resulting in injuries where speed was a contributing factor. Validated accident data for this section of the A1 from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2014 show a total of 62 personal injury collisions: YearSlight InjurySerious InjuryFatal20108202011930201213112013100020141320

Large Goods Vehicles: Fees and Charges

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his latest assessment is of the effectiveness of the foreign lorry user charge; whether he has been in discussion with any representatives of the EU concerning the compliance of that charge with EU law; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: Since the levy started in April 2014, 4 million levies had been purchased for foreign-registered vehicles, raising £96.22 million in receipts, by the end of March 2016. Compliance rates continue to run at about 95 per cent in Great Britain. My Department has been engaged in discussions with the European Commission since the early stages of development of the levy. British drivers regularly pay when they use the roads in other countries, and the Government policy is that it is fair that foreign HGV drivers should do the same here.

Pedicabs: Greater London

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's press release, Rip-off pedicabs to be driven off the road under new proposals, published 26 May 2016, whether he plans to (a) amend secondary legislation or (b) bring forward legislative proposals to regulate pedicabs in London.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Primary legislation will be needed to enable the Mayor to introduce a licensing regime for pedicabs. The Government is looking at how to bring the legislation forward in the next year.

SS Gairsoppa: Salvage

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any officials of his Department have been transferred, disciplined or dismissed in relation to management of the contract for SS Gairsoppa.

Mr Robert Goodwill: It would be inappropriate to give any details that might allow an individual who might have been subject to disciplinary proceedings to be identified. However, any lessons learnt from the case will be implemented if any future contracts of this nature are let.

Volkswagen

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he was made aware of Volkswagen's decision to delay Jones Day's comprehensive investigation into diesel emissions until the fourth quarter of 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport was informed of this decision by Volkswagen on 22 April. This coincided with the public announcement from the company.

Volkswagen

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings he has had with representatives of Volkswagen to discuss diesel emissions in 2016 to date.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Secretary of State met with Paul Willis, Managing Director of VW UK, and other representatives of Volkswagen to discuss diesel emissions in May. Ministers have written to Volkswagen on several occasions in 2016. Department for Transport officials hold regular meetings with Volkswagen.

M56: Accidents

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many reported personal injury road accidents in each category of severity there were on the M56 between junctions 12 and 14 in each month during the last five years for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: The following tables contain validated, personal injury data for the M56 between junctions 12 and 14 from 2010 to 2014. Number of Personal Injury Road Accidents (Collisions) Collisions JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSeptOctNovDecGrand Total 201020020132213117201100021212121113201200111211310314201330245241110023201412201314132121Grand Total 62598101010886688 Number of Casualties - Fatal Fatal JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSeptOctNovDecGrand Total2010000000000000020110000000000000201200000000000002013000010000000120140000000102003Grand Total 0000100102004   Number of Casualties – Serious Serious JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSeptOctNovDecGrand Total 2010100000100000220110000000000000201200100000100242013000020000000220140000000200002Grand Total 10102012100210   Number of Casualties – Slight SlightJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSeptOctNovDecGrand Total 201020060254323128201100063314142125201200011412510116201340556341130032201425201512132226Grand Total 8571811171213111375127

M56

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what level of funding was allocated to Department for Transport Incident Support Units serving the M56 between junctions 12 and 14 in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: There is no available data on the historical level of funding allocated specifically to the Incident Support Unit service in the geographical operational area for trunk roads motorways in the North West, where the M56 Motorway is located. This Incident Support Unit was provided to Highways England’s predecessor organisation, the Highways Agency, by a contractor until 2012. There was a lump sum payment for various duties and it is not possible to disaggregate the cost of the Incident Support Unit service from the overall payments. A new Asset Support Contract replaced the previous approach in November 2012, and this no longer requires the contractor to provide a dedicated Incident Support Unit team. Incident response is now handled by the trained operatives in the general workforce, who are already working on the road network. This has proved to be a more flexible and cost-effective way of managing incidents.

Railways: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2016 to Question 37977, what estimate his Department has made of future levels of passenger travel (a) to and (b) from Coventry railway station in each of the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Analysis is being undertaken on future levels of passenger demand at Coventry for the West Midlands franchise competition to prepare for the Invitation to Tender, as well as for the InterCity West Coast franchise.

Railways: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2016 to Question 37977, what comparative assessment he has made of trends in the number of passengers travelling from and to (a) Coventry railway station and (b) other stations in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Work is currently in progress assessing trends on the routes from and to Coventry as part of the West Midlands and InterCity West Coast franchise competitions. The Invitation to Tender for the West Midlands franchise is due to be released shortly.

Driving Tests: Kingston upon Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to increase the number of driving test inspectors based at the Hull testing site so as to ensure a driving test at that site can be booked within one month.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency acknowledges that waiting times at Hull are unacceptable and that this test centre is in need of additional resource and there will be three extra examiners going into this test centre over coming months. This and new contractual overtime rates will reduce waiting times at Hull.

Driving Tests

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average wait is for a driving test appointment (a) in England and (b) at the Hull test centre.

Andrew Jones: The main cause of current waiting times across the country is a significant and sustained surge in demand for driving tests, the last time we saw demand at such high levels was in 2005/6. The average waits for a driving test appointment in (a) England and (b) at Hull test centre are as follows: England Car – 12 weeksTaxi – eight weeksModule one motorcycle test – six weeksModule two motorcycle test – six weeks Hull driving test centreCar – 15 weeksTaxi – nine weeksModule one motorcycle test – 11 weeksModule two motorcycle test – one week Our 2015/16 recruitment campaigns resulted in 193 new examiners starting work at test centres across Britain. A further 48 examiners have started testing since April 2016, and we have made employment offers to an additional 110 people, who are currently either attending the new entrant training course, or waiting to attend one.

Bus Services

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of Clause 21 of the Bus Services Bill on the ability of Transport for London subsidiaries to bid for local bus service contracts on routes wholly outside of London.

Andrew Jones: Transport for London is not considered as a ‘relevant authority’ for the purposes of clause 21 of the Bus Services Bill, and as such the Bill does not affect anything Transport for London may do under its existing powers.

Thameslink Railway Line: Franchises

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent changes he has agreed to the rail franchise agreement with Govia Thameslink Railway.

Claire Perry: The latest version of the Franchise Agreement, including all recent changes can be seen online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/525766/tsgn-franchise-agreement.pdf

Thameslink Railway Line: Franchises

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he or officials of his Department have had with Govia Thameslink Railway on changes to that company's rail franchise.

Claire Perry: Officials regularly meet with Govia Thameslink Railway to discuss compliance with the Franchise Agreement and agreed changes to the Franchise Agreement are incorporated into the public register version, the latest version of which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/525766/tsgn-franchise-agreement.pdf

Thameslink Railway Line: Franchises

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which hon. Members were notified about (a) discussions between his Department and Govia Thameslink Railway on changes to that company's rail franchises and (b) changes agreed with that company to those franchises.

Claire Perry: We do not normally notify hon. Members with regard to contract change(s) to Franchise Agreements, as this is business as usual for the Department. The Remedial Plan prepared in response to the notice issued by the Department for Transport under Section 55 of the Railways Act on 7th July 2015 was published online on the 26 May at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/525767/govia-thameslink-remedial-plan.pdf.

Thameslink Railway Line

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the punctuality record of Govia Thameslink Railway in the last six months.

Claire Perry: The Department regularly assesses each train operator’s performance, and officials have regular meetings with Govia Thameslink Railway’s senior management where operational performance is reviewed, including punctuality as measured through the Public Performance Measure, and we continue to press the franchisee to see what can be done to improve the service offered to their customers.

Bus Services: Rural Areas

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has carried out a rural proofing assessment of the likely effects of measures contained in the Bus Services Bill.

Andrew Jones: The general and specific impacts of the Bill’s provisions are included in a number of Impact Assessments, which will be published shortly. The impact assessments include a ‘rural proofing assessment’.

Bus Services

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on local authorities creating new municipal bus companies in England.

Andrew Jones: The Bus Services Bill, which had its first reading in the House of Lords on 19th May, sets out the Government’s policy regarding the creation of new municipal bus companies in England. Clause 21 of the Bill proposes to restrict the ability of local authorities in England to establish companies for the purposes of operating local bus services. Government recognises the quality services that existing municipal bus companies provide for passengers, and these existing companies will not be affected by the provisions in the Bill. However, it is our view that the commissioning and provision of bus services should be kept separate, particularly as the introduction of new partnership and franchising powers in the Bill is likely to lead to more local authority control and influence of local services.

Transport: North of England

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2016 to Question 37933, how much of the £13 billion investment in transport across the North of England referred to in that Answer will be spent on each type of project.

Andrew Jones: The £13bn of transport investment in the North of England covers:full costs of Highways England schemes on the strategic roads network in the North West, North East and Yorkshire and Humber regions due to commence by 2020/21;other capital spending on the above regions by the Department for Transport and its delivery bodies over the financial years 2015/16 to 2020/21;the whole-life cost of the Intercity Express train fleet which is due to enter service on the East Coast Main Line from 2018 onwards.Not all of the Local Growth Fund is currently allocated, so as future allocations of the Local Growth Fund are made to Local Enterprise partnerships, the amount supporting transport projects in the north through to 2020/21 is likely to rise.  Project typeTotal Spend £bnHighways England capital expenditure1 4.8Local authority highway maintenance grant1.4Local authority integrated transport grant0.6Local Growth Fund (Department for Transport contribution)1.5Major transport schemes in local authorities1.5Intercity Express fleet for East Coast Main Line and other rail enhancements3.8Total13.61. covers enhancements (delivery + design and development work), renewals and major capital-funded maintenance, but not resource-funded maintenance or contributions from ringfenced funds

Department for Communities and Local Government

West Midlands Combined Authority

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of how many full-time equivalent civil servants will support the West Midlands Combined Authority in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois: A range of officials from across Government will work to support the West Midlands Combined Authority in the delivery of their policy outcomes. Civil Servants from my Department, including those based in Birmingham, and from the Homes and Communities Agency, will support the authorities of the West Midlands on a number of key local delivery priorities, including on planning, housing, and programmes to drive local economic growth, such as Enterprise Zones and European funding.

West Midlands Combined Authority

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to relocate Civil Service staff from London to the West Midlands to support the West Midlands Combined Authority Deal; and if he will make a statement.

James Wharton: My Department has a number of staff who are already based in the West Midlands, who have worked closely - and who will continue to work closely - with the authorities of the West Midlands on the development and implementation of their devolution agreement and who support delivery of key growth programmes such as Enterprise Zones and European funding.

Housing: Chronic Illnesses

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, whether he plans to ensure that private tenants affected by (a) cancer and (b) other long-term health conditions are able to access suitable accommodation, support and protection from eviction.

Brandon Lewis: The welfare system provides financial support to those with cancer and other long-term health conditions, including to help people meet the additional costs that come from these conditions.The statutory ‘reasonable preference’ requirements ensure that priority for social housing is given to those who need to move on medical or welfare grounds. Statutory guidance on allocations makes clear that this would include people who have chronic or progressive medical conditions or long term care needs.

Homelessness

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 on levels of homelessness in England in each of the next five years.

Mr Marcus Jones: We are committed to supporting the most vulnerable in our society. Since 2010 our investment has helped local authorities prevent over 935,800 households from becoming homeless.The Housing and Planning Act will increase the range of affordable homes available, including homes to rent, homes for shared ownership and discounted Starter Homes to buy outright, so that social housing is prioritised for those that need it most.

Homelessness

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, following the review of homelessness legislation undertaken by the charity Crisis entitled The homelessness legislation: An independent review of the legal duties owed to homeless people, published on 25 April 2016, whether he plans to undertake a review of such legislation.

Mr Marcus Jones: I welcome the recent report from the Crisis Expert Panel into the legal duties owed to homeless people. It provides a valuable insight into how aspects of the current legislation in England can learn from the model adopted in Wales.We are considering all options, including legislation, and will continue to talk to local authorities, homelessness organisations and other government departments.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on (a) the mass arrest of members of the Baha'i community in Golestan province, Iran and (b) the length of their sentence of imprisonment.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have had no specific reporting nor have we made representations on behalf of the group mentioned. However, we consistently raise our concerns about the treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran with the Iranian Government. We call on Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow freedom of religion to all Iranians.

Bahrain: Prisoners

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his counterpart in Bahrain on the health risks to Zainab al-Khawaja and her child in detention; and if he will press for the release of Ms al-Khawaja and her child.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have raised Zainab Al Khawaja’s case regularly with the Government of Bahrain at the highest levels. I am pleased to inform you that shortly after the Foreign Secretary visited, Zainab Al Khawaja and her 18 month son were released from prison on 31 May.

Malawi: Albinism

Corri Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the President of Malawi on the rise in albinism-related crimes in that country.

James Duddridge: We are concerned by reports of a rise in human rights violations against persons with albinism in Malawi. Our High Commissioner to Malawi discussed the issue during a meeting with the Malawian Foreign Minister on 27 April and also with United Nations Independent Expert on the rights of persons with Albinism Ms Ikponwosa Ero, during her visit to Malawi on 29 April. Malawian President Mutharika has condemned the attacks and ordered the perpetrators to be brought to justice.  UN research recorded a total of 66 incidents in the last 14 months, 40% related to exhuming graveyards to collect body parts and 24% the sale of body parts by perpetrators including traditional healers.  In a recent press conference he said attacks on albinos are barbaric and ordered security agencies to intensify actions against perpetrators. So far 69 suspects have been arrested, awaiting prosecution.

Andargachew Tsege

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to the Ethiopian authorities to secure the release of British citizen Andargachew Tsege from detention in that country.

James Duddridge: The Government takes the detention and welfare of Mr Andargachew Tsege very seriously. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised Mr Tsege’s case with the Ethiopian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister during his visit to Ethiopia on 1 June 2016. The Foreign Secretary received assurances that Mr Tsege will be allowed access to independent legal advice to allow him to discuss options under the Ethiopian legal system. During the Foreign Secretary's visit, a senior Foreign Office official (travelling as part of the delegation) visited Mr Tsege in prison.

Egypt: National Security

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Egyptian counterpart on the charging of Mr Mina Thabet with undermining national security.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of Mr Thabet’s case and are concerned about the decreasing space for civil society to operate in Egypt. We urge the Government of Egypt to allow NGOs to operate freely.I have raised our concerns about pressure on NGOs with the Egyptian Ambassador to London and made a statement on 22 March on this issue. My officials regularly raise our concerns with representatives from the Egyptian Government in both Cairo and London, and will continue to do so.

Egypt: Human Rights

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the number of people defending human rights in Egypt who are under arrest or subject to travel bans, asset freezes or intimidation.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are concerned about the decreasing space for civil society to operate in Egypt, including the reopening of a case against more than 30 human rights organisations. Human rights defenders have been subject to measures including questioning, travel bans and judicial applications for asset freezing against individuals and their families. Officials continue to follow the proposed asset freeze against investigative journalist Hossam Bahgat and human rights defender Gamal Eid closely.I raised these concerns with the Egyptian Ambassador in London and made a statement on 22 March. My officials regularly raise our concerns with representatives from the Egyptian Government in both Cairo and London.

Ascension Island

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to develop a long-term strategy for Ascension Island.

James Duddridge: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently working with the Ascension Island Government to identify the island’s infrastructure needs. This is the first step in identifying long-term requirements for Ascension.

Ascension Island: Piers

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimates his Department has received for the cost of refurbishing the pier head at Ascension Island.

James Duddridge: Ascension Island Government has embarked on a project to assess and cost potential improvements to the pier head. I take all matters relating to piers seriously.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on the future of the Chagos Islanders.

James Duddridge: The Government concluded an independent feasibility study in February 2015, and carried out a twelve week public consultation, the results of which we published in January this year. The Government is still considering its policy in this area and will announce developments to Parliament and the public in due course.

Iran: Human Rights

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterparts in the Iranian government on violations of human rights through executions, torture and arbitrary arrests in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK regularly raises our human rights concerns with the Iranian authorities, both in London and Tehran, and will continue to do so. Iran’s human rights record remains a serious cause for concern, particularly its use of the death penalty, torture, treatment of prisoners (including appropriate access to medical care) and restrictions on the freedom of religion and belief. We continue to urge Iran to abide by its international commitments to ensure all Iranians enjoy the rights and freedoms they are entitled to.

Scottish Government: Visits Abroad

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which overseas trips by Ministers of the Scottish Government were supported by (a) his Department and (b) British embassies and consulates in each year since 2014.

Mr David Lidington: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

Iran: Visits Abroad

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department provided to the delegation to Iran led by the Rt. hon. Member for Gordon and the hon. Member for Ochil and South Perthshire in December 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The visit of the Rt Hon. Member for Gordon (Mr Salmond) and the Member for Ochil and South Perthshire (Ms Ahmed-Sheikh) to Tehran in December 2015 was organised and paid for entirely by the Scottish National Party and the Iranian authorities. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided some logistical support and Mr Salmond was briefed by the British Chargé d’affaires in Tehran on his arrival.

Religious Freedom

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many projects related to freedom of religion of belief are being funded by the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: The Government places great importance on defending freedom of religion or belief globally. The Magna Carta Fund is one of the tools we use to pursue this goal. The allocations for 2016-2017 are still being finalised.

Religious Freedom

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the appointment of an EU Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Arms Trade: Exports

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the UN Secretary-General's report on Children and Armed Conflict, published in April 2016, if the Government will suspend arms export licences and reject new applications for arms exports while there is a risk that they could be used in contravention of international humanitarian and human rights laws.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: All UK export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all available relevant information at the time of the application. A licence will not be issued if doing so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory Criteria, including the UK's international obligations and its commitments to enforce UN, OSCE and EU arms embargoes, and where it is assessed there is a clear risk that the items might be used for internal repression or in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law. As part of its assessment under Criterion 2, the Government is required to take account of the risk the items might be used to commit gender-based violence or serious violence against women or children.We do not agree that it is right to prohibit all sales of arms to all the countries named in the UN's annual reports on Children and Armed Conflict, especially as the violations may be carried out by non-state actors. We take our arms export responsibilities very seriously, and operate a robust arms export control regime with every country.

Arms Trade: Exports

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will suspend arms export licences and reject new applications for arms exports to any parties that risk using them in contravention of international humanitarian and human rights laws.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: All UK export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all available relevant information at the time of the application. A licence will not be issued if doing so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory Criteria, including the UK's international obligations and its commitments to enforce UN, OSCE and EU arms embargoes, and where it is assessed there is a clear risk that the items might be used for internal repression or in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law. As part of its assessment under Criterion 2, the Government is required to take account of the risk the items might be used to commit gender-based violence or serious violence against women or children.

Members: Visits Abroad

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which overseas visits by hon. Members have been supported by his Department or by British embassies and consulates in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016 to date.

Mr David Lidington: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to her Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

Mr Ben Wallace: I refer the hon Member to the Prime Minister's response of 25 May 2016. This information is not collated centrally by the Department.

Northern Ireland Office: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from her Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what she estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Mr Ben Wallace: I refer the hon Gentleman to the answer given by my hon Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (John Penrose) UIN 38825.

Offences against the Person Act 1861: Northern Ireland

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will make it her policy to hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: As part of the Northern Ireland Devolution settlement, prosecutions under the Offences against the Person Act 1861 are a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. I have no power to intervene in the Northern Ireland criminal justice system.

Attorney General

Abortion

Diana Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, what his policy is on the prosecution of women who seek a medical abortion under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

Jeremy Wright: Offences of using poison or instruments to cause miscarriage and supplying or procuring poison or instruments to cause miscarriage (sections 58 and 59 Offences Against the Persons Act 1861) are usually investigated by the police and, in England and Wales, prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).The CPS will only bring or continue with a prosecution where both stages of the test set down in the Code for Crown Prosecutors are met, i.e. that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and, if so, that a prosecution is required in the public interest.In England and Wales, section 1 of the Abortion Act 1967 provides a defence to a prosecution under sections 58 or 59 where a pregnancy is terminated by a registered medical practitioner in accordance with the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which steel plants in the UK have (a) closed and (b) been bought by a new owner in each of the last 10 years.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 23 May 2016



The information requested is set out below and covers the closures and sales of primary steel making plants in the UK. Steel Plant Closed (A)Steel Plant Bought by New Owner (B)Alphasteel, Newport (2007)Libala, Newport (2008)Teeside Cast Products, Redcar (2010)SSI, Redcar (2011)Thamesteel, Sheerness (2012)Liberty Group, Newport (2013)Libala, Newport (2013)SSI, Redcar (2015) For A) owner at time of closing, plant (year of closure)For B) new owner, plant (year of sale) There is no centrally collected information for downstream steel sites closures and sales.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Pay

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average hourly earnings were of his Department's (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not currently hold any analysis of pay by ethnicity characteristic. To extract and analyse this data would incur disproportionate costs.

Public Houses

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether lease renewal and rent review will remain trigger points for the market rent only option procedure, as set out in Part 6 of the withdrawn Pubs Code etc. Regulations 2016.

Anna Soubry: Yes. Lease renewal and rent review will remain trigger points for the ‘Market Rent Only’ option procedure in the revised regulations.

Public Houses

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to lay the revised statutory instruments for the Pubs Code etc. Regulations 2016 and Pubs Code (Fees, Costs and Financial Penalties) Regulations 2016 before the House.

Anna Soubry: The Government is working hard to bring the Pubs Code etc Regulations 2016 into force as soon as possible. We have drafted the necessary technical corrections, and will lay a revised draft as soon as possible. The Code will come in to force following Parliamentary scrutiny. The Pubs Code (Fees, Costs and Financial Penalties) Regulations 2016 will be laid at the same time.

Public Houses

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he plans to make changes to the procedure of the market rent only option once triggered, as planned in Part 6 of the withdrawn Pubs Code etc. Regulations 2016.

Anna Soubry: No. The Government does not plan to make any material changes to the procedure of the ‘Market Rent Only’ option, once triggered, in the revised regulations. Some technical drafting improvements have been made to Part 6.

Companies: Ownership

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answers of 19 April 2016 to Questions 34108, 34137 and 34138, when the data on overseas and UK-based ownership of property will be placed in the Library.

Anna Soubry: I have done so.

Unemployment: Young People

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what funding is available for third-sector training providers to support young people who are not in education, employment or training and not ready for classroom-based learning since the end of the Youth Contract.

Nick Boles: Third sector providers and local authority adult education services access the Adult Education Budget as prime and sub-contractors, using the funding for training which helps young people who are not in education, employment or training prepare for work, amongst other objectives. They also compete to run local European Social Fund programmes; many of these programmes focus on helping young people improve their skills levels and employment opportunities. Where combined authorities agree devolution deals which include devolution of the Adult Education Budget, they will assume full responsibility for decisions about what provision to commission from that budget. Nine areas have agreed such deals to date, with devolution of that budget due to take effect from 2018/19, subject to readiness conditions being met. BIS is working with those areas in advance of full devolution to help increase local influence over nationally-funded adult education provision in their locality in the interim.

Apprentices: Travel

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if his Department will make funding available for discounted or complimentary travel for apprentices.

Nick Boles: Apprenticeships are full time paid jobs which include substantial and sustained training, lasting a minimum of 12 months. There is no central public funded support available towards travel costs for apprentices, but some Local Authorities do offer discounts or concessions for young people on apprenticeships, as they do for those in other forms of learning.

Apprentices

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) male and (b) female apprentices have undertaken their apprenticeship on a part-time basis in the last three years.

Nick Boles: Apprenticeships are full-time jobs; therefore an apprentice should work at least 30 hours per week. In exceptional circumstances, such as where the apprentice has caring responsibilities, a minimum of 16 hours per week may be agreed between the apprentice and the employer. In circumstances where the apprentice works fewer than 30 hours per week, the duration of the apprenticeship must be extended in proportion so that the minimum requirements on duration are still met. Statistical data on apprenticeships broken down by part-time/full-time hours is not available. The table below shows apprenticeship starts by gender, 2012/13 to 2014/15:  2012/132013/142014/15 Number of starts% of totalNumber of starts% of totalNumber of starts% of totalFemale279,00054.7%232,94052.9%264,75053.0%Male231,21045.3%207,48047.1%235,14047.0%Total510,200100.0%440,400100.0%499,900100.0% Table Notes: 1) The data source is the Individualised Learner Record.2) Volumes are rounded to the nearest ten with the exception of totals which are rounded to the nearest hundred.3) Percentages are calculated on pre-rounded data.4) Gender is based on self-declaration by the learner.

Unemployment: Young People

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what data his Department collects on a local authority basis on the number of young people classified as (a) not in employment, education or training and (b) unable to be located or unknown.

Nick Boles: Estimates of the number of young people aged 16-18 who are NEET or whose activity is not known, at the local authority level are published annually by DfE: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/neet-data-by-local-authority-2012-16-to-18-year-olds-not-in-education-employment-or-training. These are based on administrative data provided by Local Authorities. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Education (DfE) release a joint quarterly publication that contains estimates of the number of young people aged 16-24 in England who are not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/neet-statistics-quarterly-brief-january-to-march-2016. These estimates are based on the Labour Force Survey and contain regional breakdowns in the supplementary tables, however these are not at the local authority level due to low sample sizes.

Apprentices

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprentices enrolled on a Level 7 (Master's) apprenticeship for (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Nick Boles: Information on Apprenticeship starts by level reported to date for 2015/16 is published as a supplementary table (first link) to a Statistical First Release (second link). There have currently been no starts reported to date at Level 7.The first publication containing 2016/17 data will be published in January 2017.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/509999/apprenticeships-starts-by-framework-type-and-level.xlshttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held

Land Registry: Privatisation

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what (a) representations he has received from and (b) meetings his Department has had with companies based in the British Overseas Territories on the future of the Land Registry.

Anna Soubry: A Government consultation seeking views on options to move Land Registry operations to the private sector closed on 26 May. We have received views from a large number of businesses and individuals. My department is analysing these responses and the Government will issue a response in due course. No decision has been taken on the future of Land Registry and, as such, no bids have been received.

Land Registry: Privatisation

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the letter he received from the hon. Member of Tottenham of 2 June 2016, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of the privatisation of the Land Registry on the amount of money related to corruption entering the UK property market.

Anna Soubry: A Government consultation seeking views on options to move Land Registry operations to the private sector closed on 26 May. My department is analysing these responses and the Government will issue a response in due course. Anti-fraud and corruption protections are amongst the factors being considered as the Government is committed to tackling corruption and increasing corporate transparency. No decision has been taken on the future of Land Registry.

Land Registry: Privatisation

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the letter he received from the hon. Member of Tottenham of 2 June 2016, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of the privatisation of the Land Registry on transparency in the UK property market (a) in general and (b) with regards to public records of the corporate and beneficial ownership of properties owned by offshore companies.

Anna Soubry: A Government consultation seeking views on options to move Land Registry operations to the private sector closed on 26 May. My department is analysing these responses and the Government will issue a response in due course. Transparency protections are amongst the factors being considered. No decision has been taken on the future of Land Registry.

Land Registry: Privatisation

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to ensure that Land Registry service fees do not increase in the event of the privatisation of the Land Registry.

Anna Soubry: A Government consultation seeking views on options to move Land Registry operations to the private sector closed on 26 May. In that consultation, the Government set out its preference for a contract-based privatisation model, under which statutory fees would still be prescribed in fee orders made by the Secretary of State and set before Parliament. My department is analysing the responses to the consultation, including on the issue of fees, and the Government will issue a response in due course. No decision has been taken on the future of Land Registry.

Land Registry: Privatisation

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to ensure that information held by the Land Registry that is subject to Freedom of Information requests will continue to be covered by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in the event of the privatisation of the Land Registry.

Anna Soubry: A Government consultation seeking views on options to move Land Registry operations to the private sector closed on 26 May. My department is analysing these responses and the Government will issue a response in due course. Transparency protections are amongst the factors being considered. No decision has been taken on the future of Land Registry.

Science: Research

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and UK Space Agency cross-boundary research proposals submitted through the Joint Electronic Submission System received funding in each of the last three years.

Joseph Johnson: In the last financial year one cross-boundary research proposal was considered for co-funding by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the UK Space Agency. This proposal was discussed at the relevant EPSRC funding panel and was awarded funding. In the two years prior, no proposals were received which were considered for co-funding in this respect.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Sheffield

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many of his Department's staff based at St Paul's Place, Sheffield, have a length of tenure of (a) under one year, (b) between one and five years, (c) between five and 10 years and (d) over 10 years.

Joseph Johnson: The length of service, within the Civil Service, of employees of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) based at St Paul's Place Sheffield, is shown in the table below.  EmployeesLess than 1 year61-5 years165-10 years30Over 10 Years187 This data is based on all people based in Sheffield as at 31 May 2016 and includes BIS employees and those currently on loan to BIS from other government departments.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Reorganisation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016, on BIS consultation, HCWS30, how much vacant office space there currently is at the 1 Victoria Street offices.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills actively manages occupancy of its office estate to ensure that offices are used effectively, and commensurate with health and safety and other statutory requirements. Given the recent Voluntary Exit Scheme, and our plans to re-organise the building to increase capacity, the Department estimates that additional London staff could be accommodated in 1 Victoria Street over the next year and a half. Our plan to reduce to 1,500 policy posts overall by 2020 will also create some additional capacity.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Reorganisation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016, on BIS consultation, HCWS30, in which ways operating split-site and split-team working would put a strain on organisational effectiveness.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Science: Research

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of research proposals submitted through the Joint Electronic Submission System which have been judged to cross the boundary between the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the UK Space Agency have gone through to peer review.

Joseph Johnson: The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) runs a remit query service which enables researchers to discuss proposals in advance with the UK Space Agency (UKSA) should they consider their research idea to fall between discipline boundaries. This enables research council staff, and those from UKSA, to agree on which agency or council is best placed to carry out peer review to assess the merits of the proposal. Where a proposal is cross-disciplinary, UKSA and EPSRC work together to agree a leading council/agency to carry out peer review functions, with reviewers selected from both organisations. There has been one project in the last three years which was submitted to EPSRC through Je-S and was assessed by programme managers as cross boundary. The proposal went through the peer review process and was funded.

Science: Research

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what mechanism exists to ensure that research proposals which have been judged to cross the boundary between the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the UK Space Agency proceed to peer review.

Joseph Johnson: Staff in the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the other research councils and the UK Space Agency (UKSA) discuss research proposals on a case-by-case basis where there is cross-disciplinarity between organisational boundaries. The EPSRC operates a remit query service to assist applicants in establishing the best council for their submission. Where a proposal is received by EPSRC without using this remit service, EPSRC identify and discuss the proposal with the most relevant organisation to ensure that, where applicable, co-funding can be secured and that appropriate reviewers can be requested to cover the breadth of research disciplines covered in the proposal. Following supportive peer review the proposal would then, in the case of EPSRC, be tabled at an appropriate funding panel for authorisation or rejection in open competition with other proposals.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Reorganisation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016, on BIS consultation, HCWS30, what assessment he has made of the effect of the decision to centralise policy functions in London on (a) the morale of staff working on higher education reform in the Department's Sheffield office and (b) his Department's ability to retain higher education policy officials.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is committed to providing extensive support to those affected, following the decision to proceed with the proposal to create a combined BIS Headquarters and policy function in London. This includes the provision of outplacement support, and working with employers to maximise redeployment opportunities. BIS continues to work with affected staff to ensure there is support available to meet needs. Although 72% of higher education officials are based in London, we recognise there is important expertise based in Sheffield. Civil Service resourcing is a matter for the Permanent Secretary and Department Board, who are ensuring that our teams can continue to delivering on the Government’s priorities during this difficult change.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Reorganisation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016, on BIS consultation, HCWS30, what proportion of his Department's £350 million projected savings by 2020 he expects to be achieved as a result of the decision to centralise policy functions in London.

Joseph Johnson: Delivering the scale of change required to reduce our operating expenditure by £350m requires the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to fundamentally transform the way it delivers services, works with partners, and makes policy. To help deliver this substantial saving we will be reducing our locations from around 80 sites to 7 business centres, one of which will be the combined policy centre and headquarters in London. The decision to establish this policy centre forms part of this much larger reform programme. The Department estimates that establishing a policy centre will generate savings of at least £7.5m per year by 2019-20, and it will also better enable the Department to operate a more flexible, agile and easily re-deployable policy function which will continue to deliver BIS’ priorities as it reduces in size over the course of the Parliament.

Apprentices: Pay

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of apprenticeship pay rates for young people in supported accommodation.

Nick Boles: The Department has not made any assessment of the pay rates for this specific group. We are increasing the National Minimum Wage for people on apprenticeships by 3.0 per cent to £3.40 per hour in October 2016. Most apprentices receive more than the minimum; the median basic hourly pay rate is £6.31 for Level 2 and 3, and £9.68 for Level 4 and 5 Higher Apprentices. The Apprenticeship National Minimum Wage applies equally to all apprentices (for the first year if aged 19 – then the appropriate NMW for age applies). For younger workers, the priority in those first years is to secure work and gain experience - something that is already reflected in the National Minimum Wage rate structure.

Overseas Students: EU Nationals

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the expected Resource Accounting and Budgeting charge is for student loans paid out to EU students studying in England.

Joseph Johnson: The Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge, which represents the value of the part of the loan that is not expected to be repaid, is not calculated separately by the nationality of the students. We estimate that the RAB charge for full time tuition fee and maintenance loans is between 20% and 25%. My Department publishes an updated estimate of the RAB charge each year, close to the time of the publication of BIS accounts. The most recent estimate of the RAB charge was published on 18 February 2016. The estimate, together with a simplified version of the model for calculating the RAB charge can be found here:http://tinyurl.com/stepmodel

Overseas Students: EU Nationals

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what projections have been made of the number of EU students in receipt of student loans likely to be studying in England in (a) 2020, (b) 2030 and (c) 2040.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Apprentices: Taxation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what mechanisms there will be under the Apprenticeship Levy for additional support to incentivise employers to take on disadvantaged young people.

Nick Boles: Extra support will be provided for employers to take on disadvantaged young people, including 16-18 year olds, those aged 19-24 who have been in the care of the Local Authority, apprentices with additional learning needs, and apprentices who do not have the level of English and maths that is required to meet the minimum standard. Further guidance will be published in June 2016.

Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on specific support under the Youth Obligation programme to enable young people with backgrounds of homelessness to access apprenticeships.

Nick Boles: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Apprentices: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to improve the apprenticeship completion rate of disabled young people.

Nick Boles: Ensuring that apprentices have transferable skills and can progress their career will all help encourage people to complete their apprenticeship. We encourage the use of a range of available reasonable adjustments so during their learning and at assessment, apprentices with disabilities can demonstrate what they know and can do. Reasonable adjustments include access arrangements such as extra time, use of speech recognition technology, a reader, a sign language interpreter, modified papers (braille, enlarged text). Our far-reaching reforms will further improve the quality of apprenticeships and ensure delivery of the high quality relevant training expected by both employers and apprentices.

Apprentices

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department is offering to small and medium-sized enterprises to assist with the cost of setting up an apprenticeship programme.

Nick Boles: The government provides £1,500 per apprentice to smaller employers taking on new apprentices aged 16-24 through the Apprenticeships Grant for Employers. Additional support provided for employers includes funding training for 16-18 year old apprentices, those young people who are aged 19-24 who have been in the care of the Local Authority, apprentices with additional learning needs, and apprentices who don’t have the level of English and maths that is required to meet the minimum standard. Further funding detail and provisional funding rates are due to be published in June. Since April, employers have not been required to pay employer National Insurance contributions for almost all apprentices aged under 25 up to the Upper Secondary Threshold (£827 per week in 2016-17). This change makes the business case for apprenticeships even stronger, reducing the cost of employing a young apprentice by over £500 a year on a salary of £12,000, and over £1,000 a year on a salary of £16,000.  Employers can access information about employing an apprentice on the gov.uk website https://www.gov.uk/take-on-an-apprentice

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Females

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to increase reporting and improve data collection of violence against women and girls in developing countries.

Mr Nick Hurd: DFID has championed the introduction of a VAWG ‘marker’ by the OECD-DAC to better track donor funding on VAWG. The Department has also already made changes to its own systems so that it can report annually to the OECD-DAC about VAWG spending. The DAC marker is a critical accountability tool for all donors, including in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 5.2. In addition the department is supporting some national governments to collect data on violence against women and girls through its bilateral programmes, one example of which is the support to Ghana to conduct a violence against women and girls prevalence survey.

Developing Countries: Females

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to publish a specific strategy for policy-influencing work relating to violence against women and girls and monitoring of that work.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK’s international policy relating to violence against women and girls is set out in the UK’s Ending Violence against Women and Girls Strategy 2016 – 2020. In her position as Ministerial Champion for tackling VAWG Overseas my colleague Baroness Verma will have a key role to play in international influencing to deliver this policy agenda. We do not intend to publish a policy influencing strategy.

Developing Countries: Females

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what training and learning activities her Department undertakes to improve evidence collection for the design and implementation of violence against women and girls programmes.

Mr Nick Hurd: DFID’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Helpdesk central programme has developed a series of guidance notes on how to mainstream the prevention of violence against women and girls into sectoral programmes, including health, education and economic development. Building on this DFID is developing and offering resources to strengthen the capability of specialists in these disciplines in addressing VAWG, including investing up to £25 million over five years (2013-2018) in a pioneering violence against women and girls research and innovation programme called ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’.

Pakistan: Corruption

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of potential steps to reduce corruption in Pakistan (a) in general and (b) within the political system.

Mr Desmond Swayne: As the Prime Minister recently confirmed at the UK-hosted Anti-Corruption Summit the UK and DFID are committed to tackling corruption with new measures to reduce opportunities, punish the perpetrators and empower people to demand that it stops. Corruption impacts on all aspects of public life in Pakistan. DFID Pakistan is working to support the Government of Pakistan, civil society and the private sector to address corruption by improving the business environment, creating more effective institutions and engaging citizens for better service delivery and accountability. By supporting reforms to the taxation sector, DFID Pakistan is seeking to support the Government of Pakistan to make it easier for tax payers to submit payments directly, thus reducing the opportunity for corruption. By supporting reforms to the management of public funds, and improving access to information DFID Pakistan seeks to further limit the opportunities for corruption by public officials. By supporting parliament, political parties and citizen groups, DFID and other cross-Government interventions ensure that the democratic institutions are more accountable and the state as a whole is more responsive to the needs and aspirations of the Pakistani people.

Developing Countries: Females

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will take steps to increase prevention programmes for violence against women and girls in developing countries.

Mr Nick Hurd: Over the last few years DFID has rapidly and significantly scaled up its work on the prevention of Violence against Women and Girls. Between 2012 and 2014 we have had a 40% increase in programmes that aim to change social norms alone. We have also successfully worked to secure international targets on the prevention of violence against women and girls including Global Goal 5, which includes targets on ending all forms of violence against women and girls, FGM and CEFM.

Developing Countries: Females

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage donor organisations and partner countries to include action on violence against women and girls in their sectoral programmes.

Mr Nick Hurd: DFID worked hard with others to secure Global Goal 5, which includes targets on ending all forms of violence against women and girls, FGM and CEFM. In addition DFID has been at the forefront of work with OECD-DAC to create a new reporting marker for development programmes that will more comprehensively track donor spend on violence against women and girls from 2016. These measures will ensure that action on violence against women and girls enters into the core work of donors and UN agencies. DFID is also providing funding to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, which is testing and building evidence on interventions for the benefit of the whole international development community.

Developing Countries: Females

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to (a) create awareness of and (b) encourage access to its research on violence against women and girls for external organisations.

Mr Nick Hurd: Through the What Works to Prevent Violence research and innovation programme, DFID is pioneering a combination of high policy ambition with world class research on violence against women and girls prevention. The programme has developed a research uptake and stakeholder engagement strategy that will promote awareness and encourage usage of the research. The initial stages of this strategy has seen the creation of a dedicated research access portal (www.whatworks.co.za), updates targeting specialists across the international development community and regular highlighting of the programme in my speeches and meetings with international counterparts.

Department for International Development: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to her Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

Mr Nick Hurd: I refer the Hon Member to the Prime Minister's response of 25th May 2016. This information is not collated centrally by the Department.

Department for International Development: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from her Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what she estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Mr Nick Hurd: Copies of the Government's published documents on the Referendum are available in the Libraries of both Houses. It is not normal practice to publish letters to members of the public and stakeholders. Costs relating to the Referendum will be accounted for in the usual way in Annual Report and Accounts.

Developing Countries: Females

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to increase the number of interventions to tackle violence against women and girls through programmes funded by her Department at (a) donor and (b) country level.

Mr Nick Hurd: As set out in our UK Strategy to end violence against women and girls: 2016 to 2020 we are pursuing an ambitious programme of work at the international level. Scaling up efforts to eliminate VAWG requires global action and leadership. DFID is continuing to demonstrate leadership internationally, for example, at the World Humanitarian Summit the UK announced an expansion of the VAWG programme in Syria with UNFPA. DFID will continue to support VAWG interventions at country and central level where it is appropriate and where there is a comparative advantage for DFID to do so .

Developing Countries: Females

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has made an assessment of (a) the adequacy of its expenditure on and (b) the value for money of its work on violence against women and girls.

Mr Nick Hurd: As part of the recent ICAI report on DFID’S efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls (VAWG), and building on a DFID mapping exercise from 2014, ICAI identified 127 VAWG programmes – up from 64 in 2012. The value of these programmes came to £184 million in 2015. The value for money question is specifically addressed in our pioneering violence against women and girls research and innovation programme called ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’, and we will be incorporating findings into programme development as they emerge.

Syria: International Assistance

Jo Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the finding of the Concern Worldwide (UK) report of 20 May 2016, Still Paying the Price, on the proportion of funding pledged during the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference in February 2016 so far received, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all pledges are being fulfilled.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The Supporting Syria and the Region Conference raised an unprecedented $12 billion for Syria and the region, including $6 billion for this year. Since the Concern Worldwide (UK) Report was published, further funding has been received by the UN towards their 2016 appeals, bringing total 2016 disbursements to $1.7 billion.A recent letter from the Prime Minister – signed by all Conference co-hosts – pressed leaders for prompt disbursement of their pledges. We are also in final negotiations with a provider to develop and implement a tracking mechanism for all the financial commitments made at the London Conference. On 24 May the Secretary of State chaired a constructive meeting in the margins of the World Humanitarian Summit to review implementation of both financial and policy agreements made at the London Conference, and progress will be reviewed again at the UN General Assembly in September. I am working closely with Syria Conference co-hosts to ensure these measures help to maintain pressure on donors to honour their pledges through more rapid disbursement.

Overseas Aid

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that its aid is spent appropriately and on those in greatest need.

Mr Nick Hurd: As set out in the UK Aid Strategy, our aid will focus on tackling the global challenges of our time, meeting our promises to the world’s poor and putting international development at the heart of our national security and foreign policy. DFID has reviewed its aid programme to inform how we allocate our resources, to where our aid is most needed and where the best results can be gained for taxpayers' money, and to provide an effective response to deliver the Spending Review, the UK Aid Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the UK aid budget is spent on water and sanitation; how that proportion was decided; and if she will increase that proportion.

Mr Nick Hurd: In 2014 (the year for which figures are last available) UK bilateral expenditure on water supply and sanitation was £180.8 million. This was 2.6% of the UK’s total bilateral Official Development Assistance. This does not include our core contributions to multilateral organisations, anumber of which have large water and sanitation and programmes which we contribute to.We do not allocate a set proportion of the aid budget to water and sanitation. The UK Aid strategy commits the UK to helping at least 60 million people get access to water and sanitation by 2020. We will allocate the resources required to achieve this to the relevant programmes.

Bangladesh: Storms

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help (a) women and (b) all people in Bangladesh affected by Cyclone Roanu.

Mr Desmond Swayne: To mitigate the effects of Cyclone Roanu the UK is helping to provide an immediate package of relief assistance to benefit approximately 27,000 people across Bhola, Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali and Laxmipur districts. Of this number at least 13,500 or 50% are women.

Bangladesh: Overseas Aid

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help people in Bangladesh build resilience against future extreme weather events in (a) Chittagong and (b) Bangladesh.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Since 2010 the United Kingdom, through DFID, has made significant investments totalling almost £38 million to enhance Bangladesh’s resilience to future extreme weather events - including in Chittagong.Across Bangladesh approximately 3 million people have benefitted from community-level risk reduction initiatives. In Chittagong efforts have focussed on enhancing resilience to cyclone and storm surges. UK funding has also helped to plant 65,000 trees across Chittagong district as part of re-forestry activities to help stabilise soil and reduce the impact of coastal flooding.

Pitcairn Islands: Shipping

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to include best practice bio security and waste management requirement clauses in the next contract for the Pitcairn Islands supply ship.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The tender for the Pitcairn Islands supply ship is currently underway and best practice bio security and waste management requirement clauses will be included in the agreed contract.

Department for Education

Teachers: Recruitment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase recruitment of teachers of priority subjects in secondary schools.

Nick Gibb: Teaching is a hugely popular career with more teachers in schools than ever before and record levels of top graduates entering the profession. To support recruitment in 2016/17 we have increased postgraduate bursaries, which put a premium on degree class, to attract top graduates in priority subjects such as physics, mathematics and modern foreign languages. Prestigious scholarships, worth £30,000 for physics and £25,000 for mathematics, chemistry or computing, are also available to talented graduates with a first or 2:1 degree who are passionate about their subject and have the potential to be inspirational teachers. We are also continuing to fund Teach First and their mission to get the best graduates into challenging schools. In addition, we are spending £67 million on a programme of measures to improve the knowledge of the existing mathematics and physics teaching workforce, and increase the number of new mathematics and physics specialists who enter the profession through initial teacher training every year. This package aims to recruit up to 2,500 new teachers and train up to 15,000 existing teachers over the next five years. It also includes programmes to encourage the brightest A level students and undergraduates into teaching; salaried part-time and abridged courses for career changers; a salaried route for post-doctoral mathematics and physics researchers; and support for qualified teachers wishing to return to the profession. Our marketing campaign, Your Future | Their Future, includes targeted subject specific advertising through a range of media. Those who wish to teach secondary priority subjects are eligible for our enhanced Premier Plus service, which provides support from a dedicated adviser to guide them through the application process. Those applicants who would benefit can also access funded courses to boost or refresh their subject knowledge to a level that will allow them to teach the subject. Officials from the Department also attend more than 35 graduate recruitment events each year.

Grammar: Primary Education

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will set out the reasons for the requirement for year five children in schools in England to learn the meaning of fronted adverbials.

Nick Gibb: Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar are the cornerstones of effective written communication. The new national curriculum, introduced in 2014, sets higher expectations supporting pupils to realise their potential in an increasingly competitive global market. The new programmes of study for English aim to ensure that all pupils acquire a wide vocabulary, a good understanding of grammar, and proper knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and written language. Explicit teaching of grammar is fundamental to this. For children from homes where parents read and share books with the family, it may be possible over time to assimilate grammatical forms such as modal verbs and fronted adverbials. For a great number of children, however, the easiest way for a teacher to explain to their pupils the rules that govern our language is to establish a shared vocabulary of grammatical terms. We have increased the range of grammar and punctuation that should be taught and the terminology that pupils should learn – the meta-language. The aim and the emphasis, however, is not on naming grammatical terms but on being able to use the grammar to be able to speak and write for a full range of purposes.

Department for Education: Food

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the annual budget is for food produced for her Department's offices; and what proportion of food produced for her Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not have an annual food budget. Catering services are provided via a contract with Interserve Plc, and is operated on a nil subsidy basis. Annual spend is determined by the contractor and is informed by private sales to members of staff. Approximately 60% of products across all food and drink categories were sourced from British producers as of March 2016. This proportion reflects that a large volume of food and drink sold includes non-indigenous products such as rice, tea and coffee.

Department for Education: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to her Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

Nick Gibb: I refer the Hon Member to the Prime Minister's response of 25th May 2016. This information is not collated centrally by the Department.

Children: Day Care

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) nursery schools, (b) day-care facilities and (c) children's centres have closed due to funding shortages in each of the last three years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The department does not collect information on the reasons for the closure of nursery schools, day-care facilities or children’s centres. Nursery schoolsThe number of closed nursery schools are given by year in the table below. Calendar YearNumber of MNS Closures201332014420155 Local authorities have a duty to secure sufficient childcare in their local area. In consultation with their Schools Forum, they are responsible for deciding how best to distribute early years funding across their locality. There is a presumption against the closure of any maintained nursery school. The local authority must consult on any proposed closures, clearly demonstrating the rationale for so doing. Day-care facilitiesThe childcare market has steadily expanded. The latest figures from the Childcare Providers Survey (September 2014) shows that the: number of registered places in full day care settings rose by ten per cent between 2011 and 2013. long term increase in the number of full day care providers continued in 2013. In total there were 17,900 full day care settings in 2013 (compared to 17,600 in 2011). Children's centresLocal authorities have a duty under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure sufficient children’s centres to meet the needs of local families. Local authorities must meet their statutory duties on children’s centres from funding that forms part of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Business Rates Retention Scheme. In addition, other government funding, including that for public health, adult skills training and troubled families may also be used locally to support services delivered wholly, or in part, through children’s centres. Local authorities must consult fully before any significant changes are made to children’s centre services. There is a strong network of children’s centres. At 31 December 2015, there were 2,605 main children’s centres open and 731 additional sites offering access to early childhood services. The numbers of closed children’s centres are given by year in the table below: Calendar YearNumber of main children’s centres closed by year2013322014832015144

Education: Young People

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to monitor the (a) location and (b) activity of young people under the age of 18 for the purposes of monitoring implementation of the participation age.

Nick Boles: Under Raising the Participation Age (RPA) requirements, all young people are required to continue in education or training until at least their 18th birthday. Local authorities are required to track the activity of young people in their area so they can identify those who are not participating, or who are at risk of not doing so, and support them accordingly. While this responsibility rests with local authorities, the Department for Education supports them by providing a secure portal for them to exchange data about young people’s activities and share good practice. The Department also publishes a Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) Scorecard to help local authorities manage their performance and regularly makes participation data collected by local authorities publically available, although its completeness and accuracy is dependent upon the methods used by each authority. This data is published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/participation-in-education-and-training-by-local-authority.

Teachers: Pre-school Education

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of qualified early years teachers in nurseries.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The department delivers early years initial teacher training places through the National College for Teaching and Leadership. There are four training routes available: undergraduate, assessment only, graduate entry and graduate employment based. To encourage take up, the Department funds course fees, pays bursaries to eligible trainees on the graduate entry route and provides financial support to employers for those trainees on the graduate employment based route. As part of our thinking on the early years workforce strategy we will be considering how best to continue to grow the graduate workforce, including supporting improved career progression.

Children: Day Care

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the level of affordability of childcare.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government uses a range of information from a number of different sources to consider the affordability of childcare, including: our ‘Childcare and early years survey of parents’ (www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents-2012-to-2013), independent surveys, such as the Family and Childcare Trust Annual Childcare Cost Surveys (www.familyandchildcaretrust.org/childcare-cost-survey-2015), and the recent House of Lords Select Committee’s report on affordable childcare – to which we responded on 17 December 2015 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/affordable-childcare-response-to-the-select-committee-report). We are committed to supporting hard-working parents with the costs of childcare and to make it more affordable. That is why we will be investing an extra £1 billion per annum by 2019-20 to help hardworking families with the cost of childcare. Since 2008 nursery costs have been increasing well above inflation, but the latest survey from the Family and Childcare Trust suggests that the nursery costs of childcare in England for both under and over two-year-olds have remained largely flat across all settings in the last year. We are already funding 15 hours a week of free early education for all three- and four-year-olds and for disadvantaged two-year-olds – this saves families around £2,500 per child per year. From September 2017, we will go further, delivering an additional 15 hours of free childcare for the working parents of three- and four-year olds (with early implementation in some areas from September 2016) – worth around another £2,500 per child per year. We also continue to invest in the Early Years Pupil Premium. We are also introducing Tax-Free Childcare from early 2017, under which around 2 million families could benefit by up to £2,000 per child per year or £4,000 per child per year if a child is disabled. For working parents on low and middle incomes, working tax credit pays up to 70% of their childcare costs and, as of April 2016, this has increased to 85% under Universal Credit. This support will be available, for the first time, to those working fewer than 16 hours per week.

Children: Day Care

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to implement the provision of 15 additional hours of free childcare for working parents provided for under the Childcare Act 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: At the 2015 Spending Review, the Government announced that we would provide £300 million for a significant uplift to the rate paid for the free childcare entitlements for two-, three- and four-year-olds from 2017-18. Together with the funding announced at last summer’s Budget, we will be investing over £1 billion more per year by 2019-20 to fund our commitments on the entitlements. The Childcare Act, which provides the legal framework for the extended entitlement, received Royal Assent in March. We also announced in February the eight early implementer local authorities which will offer the extended free childcare entitlement from September 2016. This means around 5,000 children will be able to benefit from 30 hours of high-quality free childcare places a year earlier than planned. The Department is also consulting on key elements of the operation and delivery of the extended free entitlement. This includes how the entitlement will be delivered, and how it will meet and be responsive to the needs of working parents. To date we have received over 1000 responses from a wide range of childcare providers, local authorities and provider organisations. We will use these views to inform our thinking as we move to delivering the 30 hours policy. The consultation is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/early-years-funding/childcare-free-entitlement

Schools: North of England

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to close attainment gaps within schools in the north of England that are rated good or outstanding.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s recent White Paper, Educational excellence everywhere, sets out the action we are taking to support all pupils to reach their full potential and close the gaps in attainment that exist between different groups. The gap in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is closing at both Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4. Our protection of the pupil premium at current rates for the remainder of the Parliament will help schools to build on this success. In 2015-16 we provided schools in the north of England with £768 million of pupil premium funding. We are supporting schools to make more effective use of the pupil premium, including by appointing a teaching school in each region to champion the use of the pupil premium. These schools will train successful school leaders to review the way schools are using the pupil premium and to act as regional hubs for effective practice. Schools will continue to be held to account for the standard of education they provide for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, through performance tables and Ofsted inspection. Our new headline measure of school performance, Progress 8, will encourage schools to push every child to achieve their best. The results of disadvantaged pupils will be reported separately in the school performance tables, ensuring a focus on the attainment of this group. In line with our high expectations for all pupils, performance data will emphasise the difference between disadvantaged pupils in the school and other pupils nationally, rather than focussing on gaps within the school. Data on the performance of disadvantaged pupils will feed into the risk assessment process that Ofsted uses to assess whether good and outstanding providers have declined since their last inspection. This will inform Ofsted’s prioritisation of short inspections for good schools and the identification of any concerns about outstanding schools.

Schools: Immigrants

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National pupil projections statistics release, published on 22 July 2015, how many people were defined as (a) migrants and (b) children of migrants from (i) other EU member states and (ii) non-EU member states in the principal population projection in each year between 2015 and 2024.

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National pupil projections statistics release, published on 22 July 2015, if she will publish updated pupil projection data prior to 23 June 2016.

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National pupil projections statistics release, published on 22 July 2015, if she will publish the (a) assumptions and (b) estimated total migration figures that were used in the calculation of the (i) migrant component of the principal population projection and (ii) high migrant variant in Table 3a of that data release.

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National pupil projections statistics release, published on 22 July 2015, how many people defined as migrants are included in the principal population projections in each (a) local education authority and (b) region in each year between 2015 and 2024.

Nick Gibb: The national pupil projections are only produced for the whole of England and do not break down projected pupil numbers by local education authority or region. They are derived from the 2012-based national population projections for England produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS)[1] who used assumptions which were considered to best reflect demographic patterns at that time. The ONS uses assumptions on the levels of future fertility, net migration and life expectancy in the production of their population projections. They use central assumptions for the principal projections and alternative high and low assumptions to produce variant projections. New national pupil projections, based on the ONS’s mid-2014 national population projections[2], are scheduled to be published on 14 July 2016. The timing and content of National Statistics releases are a matter for the Head of Profession for statistics. The month of publication was pre-announced in 2015 and the specific date of publication was pre-announced on 26 February 2016. [1] Mid-2012 ONS national population projections available at http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/bulletins/nationalpopulationprojections/2013-11-06[2] Mid-2014 ONS national population projections available at http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/bulletins/nationalpopulationprojections/2015-10-29

Pupils: Languages

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what were the 10 foreign languages most spoken by pupils for whom English is listed as an additional language in the annual school census in (a) 2000 and (b) 2015; and how many pupils were recorded as speaking each of those languages in each of those years.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Academies: Headteachers

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 1.37e of the Educational Excellence Everywhere White Paper, when she plans to announce the recipients of the Excellence in Leadership Fund.

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 1.37e of the Educational Excellence Everywhere White Paper, when she plans to launch the Excellence in Leadership Fund.

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 1.37e of the Educational Excellence Everywhere White Paper, what the total budget in each year of the Spending Review period will be for the Excellence in Leadership Fund.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere stated that we would launch an Excellence in Leadership Fund to encourage the best Multi-Academy Trusts and other providers to develop innovative ways of boosting leadership, particularly in areas of most need. The Fund will help to better support schools to develop a strong and diverse set of school and system leaders, through specific activity aimed at groups that are still under-represented in leadership positions. Further information about the timing and budget for the Excellence in Leadership Fund will be made available in due course.

Teachers: Training

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 1.37e of the Educational Excellence Everywhere White Paper, when she plans to launch the National Teaching Service.

Nick Gibb: The National Teaching Service was launched, with a pilot scheme in the North West, on 29 January 2016[1]. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-teaching-service-pilot-gets-underway

Mathematics: Education

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 1.89 of Budget 2016, what progress has been made on Professor Sir Adrian Smith's review of mathematics teaching for 16 to 18 year olds; and when her Department plans to publish the terms of reference for that review.

Nick Gibb: The Government asked Professor Sir Adrian Smith to review the case for how to improve the study of mathematics from 16 to 18, to ensure the future workforce is skilled and competitive, including looking at the case and feasibility for more or all students continuing to study mathematics to 18, in the longer-term. The review will report during 2016.Sir Adrian Smith has begun his review and the terms of reference will be published in due course.

Ministry of Justice

Taxis: Guide Dogs

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many fines were issued for disability discrimination against blind people with guide dogs by licensed taxi drivers in each year for which information is available.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average fine is for people found guilty of breaking the law by not allowing the transport of blind people and their guide dogs in licensed taxis under the Equality Act 2010.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions each local authority has brought under the provisions governing a blind person's right to travel in licensed taxis with their guide dogs of the Equality Act 2010.

Dominic Raab: It is an offence under section 168 of the Equalities Act 2010 to refuse to take an assistance dog in a taxi or private hire vehicle. The maximum penalty is a level 3 fine (up to £1,000). The number of offenders sentenced at all courts (with fines and average fines specifically identified) for failure to comply with a section 168 duty in relation to an assistance dog for a disabled person, in England and Wales, from 2011 (earliest separately identifiable information available) to 2015 can be viewed in table 1. The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for failure to comply with a section 168 duty in relation to an assistance dog for a disabled person, listed by local authority prosecuting the case in England and Wales, from 2011 (earliest separately identifiable information available) to 2015 can be viewed in table 2. Centrally held data by the Ministry of Justice includes information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Data on whether a guide dog for the blind or a different type of assistance dog was involved in such a case is not held centrally, or reliably recorded where there is no operational reason to do so.



Failure to Comply with Section 168 2011-15
(Excel SpreadSheet, 42 KB)

Prison Sentences

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to review the position of people serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection who are significantly over tariff and assessed as low or medium risk.

Andrew Selous: I refer the Rt. Hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave for PQ 38441, answered on 6 June 2016.

Ministry of Justice: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from his Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what he estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Andrew Selous: I refer my hon. Friend to the response given by Cabinet Office to Question 38811 on 08 June 2016.

Prison Sentences

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2016 to Question 38441, what role he has asked the Chairman of the Parole Board, Professor Nick Hardwick, to undertake in relation to people serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection.

Andrew Selous: The Justice Secretary has asked the Chairman of the Parole Board to improve the efficiency of the parole system.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to answer Question 37057, tabled on 18 May 2016.

Andrew Selous: I refer the right honourable member to the answer given to PQ 37057 on 08 June 2016.

Prison Sentences

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2016 to Question 38441, what estimate he has made of the date by which all prisoners serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection whose tariffs have expired will be released.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2016 to Question 38441, what additional resources have been allocated to the management of prisoners serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection in the last 24 months.

Andrew Selous: The sentence of IPP was introduced in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 for offences committed after April 2005. They were abolished in 2012 by the Coalition Government. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) does not disaggregate spending on IPP prisoners from spending on all prisoners. It is a priority for us to help remaining IPP prisoners progress towards release, when it is safe to do so, including by giving them opportunities to complete relevant interventions and work to reduce their risk of harm and risk of reoffending. The ongoing work to improve progression opportunities is continuing to achieve results, with 512 IPP releases approved by the Parole Board in 2015, the highest number of annual releases since the sentence became available in 2005. The release dates of prisoners serving IPP sentences, once they have completed their tariff, is entirely a matter for the independent Parole Board. The Board will direct release only if prisoners’ risks have been reduced to a level that may be safely managed in the community.

Prison Sentences

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2016 to Question 38441, what average rate people serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection have served over their tariff.

Andrew Selous: The tariff period is the minimum amount of time that prisoners serving indeterminate sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) must serve for the purposes of punishment and deterrence. Release is then a matter for the Independent Parole Board. The Parole Board will recommend release only once they are satisfied that prisoners’ risks have been reduced to a level that can be safely managed in the community. For those IPP prisoners who are beyond their tariff date the average period served post-tariff, rounded to the nearest year, is 4 years. This figure excludes IPP prisoners who have been released and subsequently recalled to custody.

Leader of the House

Private Members' Bills

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Leader of the House, if he will make it his policy to bring forward proposals on timetabling for Private Members’ Bills

Chris Grayling: The Procedure Committee has recently conducted an inquiry into Private Members’ Bills and published its report on 18th April. The Government thanks the Committee for its work in this area and is carefully considering the Committee’s recommendations. The Government aims to respond to the Committee within two months, which is the standard time for responding to Select Committee reports.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Listed Buildings

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether obligations on private owners to preserve scheduled monuments and listed buildings are applicable to government departments; and what his policy is on fulfilling such obligations.

Mark Lancaster: There is no legal requirement for the Ministry of Defence (MOD), to maintain a listed building or scheduled monument.The MOD acts in accordance with the 'Protocol for the care of the government historic estate 2009'. This is mandatory across central government, and can be found via the following link:https://content.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/protocol-for-the-care-of-the-government-historic-estate/careofgovernmenthistoricestate-2009.pdf/.

Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the value for money of the investment made by the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust from his Department's reverse premium of £6 million on assets previously transferred; and what investment he expects the proposed further reverse premium of £13 million to attract.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence has not made an assessment of the value of the investment made or proposed by the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust. This is a matter for the Trust.

Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the proposed transfer of land and historic buildings from his Department to Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust by the end of 2016 has been delayed; and whether it remains his policy to carry out that transfer.

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the planned locating of future aircraft carriers at Sheer Jetty and Victory Jetty has resulted in reconsideration of the transfer of nearby land and buildings to the Portsmouth Naval Base Trust; what assessment his Department has made of the merits of preserving such assets; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, confirmed that both carriers will be operational concurrently. This changes the level of activity, security and safety considerations for Victory and Sheer jetties. Such operational consideration and financial challenges faced by the Department have resulted in the need to plan a deferral of the transfer, the Department is working to identify and limit the length of this delay.Consideration is being given to deferring the transfer of some elements of the adjoining estate until the Naval Base better understands the challenges of maintaining the flow of logistics through the area in question and the security and safety aspects of operating two carriers in the vicinity of what could potentially become a tourist zone.We have not made an assessment of the merits of preserving the historic assets now that the project has been delayed. The assessment made previously was that their preservation would be best delivered by transferring them to the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust (PNBP).The Department remains committed to preserving these assets and will examine how best to do so in light of this delay and will work with the PNBP in doing so.

Portsmouth Dockyard

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent reports he has received on the state of disrepair of (a) the Block Mills, (b) numbers 1, 4, 5 and 6 dry docks, (c) the South Office Block, (d) the Old Naval Academy, (e) the Parade, (f) the former Iron Foundary and (g) other scheduled monuments and Grade I and Grade II* listed buildings at HM Naval Base Portsmouth; and what steps he is taking to prevent further deterioration of those monuments.

Mark Lancaster: All historical buildings are subject to quadrennial inspection.Quadrennial inspection reports are held for the following listed buildings;No 6 Dock, PortsmouthOld Naval Academy, Portsmouth former Naval Academy and railings, Buildings No 1/14, 1/16-19Block Mills Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth Building 153South Office Block, HMNB Building 088Dockyard Wall and Extension Wall, Portsmouth Naval Base Building NBW 1, 2 and 3Former Iron Foundry (Buildings 1/140, 1/139 and 1/136) HMNB PortsmouthNo 1 The Parade, HMNB, PortsmouthNo 2 The Parade, HMNB, PortsmouthNo 3 The Parade, HMNB, PortsmouthNo 4 The Parade, HMNB, PortsmouthNo 5 The Parade, HMNB, PortsmouthNo 6 The Parade, HMNB, PortsmouthNo 7 The Parade, HMNB, PortsmouthNo 8 The Parade, HMNB, PortsmouthNo 9 The Parade, HMNB, Portsmouth (Mountbatten House)

Ministry of Defence: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from his Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU Referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what he estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 8 June 2016 by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office (John Penrose) to Question 38811.



QnA extract on UK membership of EU
(Word Document, 14.44 KB)

Armed Forces: Mefloquine

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) financial and (b) non-financial support is offered to current and former army personnel affected by mental health problems related to the use of Lariam.

Mark Lancaster: The Government takes the mental health and wellbeing of the Armed Forces very seriously and substantial support is available to Service personnel and veterans who present with mental health problems, irrespective of the cause of such problems.For Service personnel, this includes access to a number of military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH) across the UK: DCMH teams comprise psychiatrists and mental health nurses, with access to clinical psychologists and mental health social workers.Service personnel identified with a mental health problem prior to leaving Service are entitled to access care in a DCMH for up to six months beyond their discharge date to continue their care.A large fraction of mental healthcare support for veterans is provided by the NHS, and there are now specialist teams across the UK whose focus is veterans' mental healthcare. Within the Ministry of Defence, the Veterans and Reserves Mental Health Programme provides mental health assessments for eligible veterans and Reservists who have concerns about their mental health. Veterans can also access the mental health services provided by Combat Stress and other charities.There is no separate provision of financial support to Serving personnel or veterans specifically as a result of mental health problems related to mefloquine (commercially known as Lariam). However, if Service personnel are diagnosed with mental health conditions attributable to Service they may be eligible for a financial award under either the War Pensions Scheme or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. All claims are considered on a case by case basis.

Mefloquine

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what stocks of Lariam his Department currently holds.

Mark Lancaster: The latest assessment of anti-malarial drugs held by the Ministry of Defence was undertaken in August 2015. This showed that mefloquine (commercially known as Lariam) represented 1.2% of all anti-malarial tablets held and, in terms of doses for a sixth month deployment, 14% of the stock.

Nuclear Submarines

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37663, if he will provide the hon. Member for Nottingham North with (a) details and (b) copies of the assessment which was used to assess the threats from emerging capabilities to nuclear submarines.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government takes its responsibilities for maintaining a credible independent nuclear deterrent extremely seriously and continually conducts assessments to ensure that the credibility and standards for operational effectiveness will continue to be met. I am withholding further details as publication would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Defence: Procurement

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the defence procurement budget was spent on foreign military sales in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the defence budget was spent on foreign military sales in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many foreign military sales contracts there have been since 2010; and what the value was of those contracts.

Mr Philip Dunne: The proportion of the defence procurement budget, and the defence budget spent on foreign military sales in each financial year cannot be provided. Under the Foreign Military Sales Agreement (FMS), Her Majesty's Government commits to FMS cases with the US Government which then places contracts with industry to deliver our requirements. Additionally, FMS cases typically cover differing periods of performance, thereby making estimation of the commitment that would fall within each financial year unreliable. The number of new cases, together with their values, committed to under FMS for each financial year is given in the table below. They do not equate to actual expenditure, accruals or contractual commitments and include contingency provisions.  Financial YearNo. of new casesValue of new cases ($millions)2009-10229952010-11301112011-12332842012-13231372013-14253012014-15263282015-16322452016-17 to date613Totals1972,414

NATO

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on the target to spend two per cent of GDP on defence.

Mr Julian Brazier: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (Mr Dunne) on 18 April 2016 to Question 904488 to the hon. Member for Mid Derbyshire (Ms Latham)



Hansard extract on NATO Countries Defence Spending
(Word Document, 14.19 KB)

Warships: Shipbuilding

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to build smaller warships.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 announced our intention to build two further Offshore Patrol Vessels, in addition to the three already under construction on the Clyde. In addition, work has already begun on the development of the lighter, flexible, General Purpose Frigates, but it is as yet too early to provide details of the timing, form and capability of these vessels. They will be designed to be capable, more attractive to a wider export market and will allow us to increase the number of frigates and destroyers. The means for achieving this will be outlined in the national Shipbuilding Strategy, which is due to report by the end of 2016.

Tanks

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks are held in reserve in the UK.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps are equipped with the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank; and what the allocation is to each such regiment of such tanks.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Challenger 2 Battle Tanks are maintained in Germany; and what the state of readiness is of such tanks.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the liability is under the 2015-16 Army Readiness Order for the size and deployability requirements of the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Challenger 2 is a highly capable Main Battle Tank and sits at the heart of the Army's war fighting Armoured Infantry Brigades and is a key part of the UK's capability. The current Challenger 2 fleet consists of 227 main battle tanks all of which would be available for operational use if required.The following Regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps are equipped with Challenger 2: The King's Royal Hussars, Tidworth; The Queen's Royal Hussars, Germany and The Royal Tank Regiment, Tidworth. We do not routinely comment on specific levels of readiness and locations for individual capabilities as to do so would compromise operational security, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.As at May 2016 the Challenger 2 fleet was assessed to meet 100% of the fleet size and deployability requirements as set out in the 2015-16 Army Readiness Order.

Warships

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what will comprise a Carrier Escort Group in respect of (a) air-defence, (b) counter-mine and (c) anti-submarine escorts.

Penny Mordaunt: The Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) Aircraft Carriers will operate as part of a Maritime Task Group, tailored to specific operational requirements, including any potential threats from land, air or sea.

Armed Forces: Mefloquine

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department first knew of the possible psychotic side effects of Lariam form of mefloquine.

Mark Lancaster: A review of archived policy documents indicates that the Ministry of Defence was aware of these possible side effects from at least 1997 onwards.It should be noted that all anti-malarial drugs can cause adverse reactions in some individuals. It is therefore Defence policy that they should only be prescribed after an individual risk assessment, to ensure an individual can tolerate the medication. Should side effects be experienced, these are to be reported immediately to a medical officer or GP, who may stop the drug and prescribe an alternative if necessary.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from his Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what he estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Mr Shailesh Vara: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given by my Hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (John Penrose) UIN 38811.

State Retirement Pensions: Self-employed

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of self-employed people who have private pensions made state pension contributions in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Redundancy Pay

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green received a severance package following his resignation from the post of Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Justin Tomlinson: The Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 (Section 4 of Chapter 5) governs Ministerial severance payments. The legislation outlines the criteria upon which severance payments are made and how the amount is calculated. The relevant section of the legislation can be found at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/5/section/4

State Retirement Pensions: British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress he has made on implementing the request by the governments of British Overseas Territories during the December 2015 Joint Ministerial Council on establishing parity of treatment between all British Overseas Territories on the uprating of pensions for UK state pension holders residing in those territories.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government has a clear position which has remained the same for around 70 years and we have no plans to change this policy: UK State Pensions are payable worldwide and are uprated abroad where we have a legal requirement to do so, for example in the European Economic Area or countries where we have a reciprocal agreement that allows for uprating. Annual increases are paid to UK state pension recipients in Bermuda and in Gibraltar.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Culture: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 36437, if he will publish a list of cultural events and organisations located (a) north of Leeds and (b) elsewhere directly funded by his Department, outside of funding for the Arts Councils in (i) the last three years and (ii) the next three years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Northern Powerhouse is a priority for Government, and through projects like The Great Exhibition of the North, we will look to showcase the innovation and imagination of the region, give a real boost to local tourism, and provide an important creative legacy. The information you have requested is published annually in the Department's report and accounts. It lists all cultural events and organisations throughout the country that are directly funded by the Department. In the last three years we have provided direct funding to a number of institutions, including the Royal Armouries, Leeds (£24.3 million), while the National Railway Museum in York receives annual funding via the Science Museums Group* who have distributed approximately £128 Million to their eight bodies between 2012/13 and 2014/15. Elsewhere in England the Government funds a number of cultural organisations directly, including the Peoples Museum in Manchester (£484,760 between 2012/13 and 2013/15) and National Museums Liverpool (£63.5 million between 2012/13 and 2014/15).​In addition, a number of the Department’s Arm’s Length Bodies such as the BFI, Tate,​and Heritage Lottery Fund have financed a number of cultural events and projects throughout England. The next three years' funding will be published in future reports and will include current projects such as the Great Exhibition of the North​, Hull City of Culture 2017​ and the Factory in Manchester​; where the Government has announced £78 million of funding.

Tourism: North of England

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the Great Exhibition of the North on tourism.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in what ways the £15 million legacy fund of the Great Exhibition of the North will continue to attract cultural investment in the North.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how the £15 million legacy fund for the Great Exhibition of the North will be distributed.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Great Exhibition of the North is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the very best of northern art, culture and design. Not only will it showcase the innovation and imagination of the region but also give a real boost to local tourism and provide an important creative legacy. The Government is committing £5 million towards the exhibition itself, and a further £15 million into a legacy fund to attract further cultural investment in the Northern Powerhouse - we will announce our plans for the fund shortly.

Information Commissioner: Pay

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the one per cent rise from 2016-17 on the (a) wage levels in real terms, (b) living standards and (c) disposable income of workers in the Information Commissioner's Office to the end of this Parliament.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The July 2015 budget announced an average 1% pay award for public sector workforces from 2016/17. This is set out in Civil Service Pay Guidance, which is issued each year following negotiation with the Trade Unions.Pay restraint is one of the many difficult choices the Government has had to make to put the public finances back on track and makes a significant contribution to protecting jobs and maintaining public services.

Broadband

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to accelerate the rollout of broadband in (a) rural and (b) urban areas.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The BDUK programme continues to work with BT and other suppliers to bring forward delivery of superfast broadband across the UK. 9 out of 10 homes and businesses can now receive superfast speeds and we remain on track to reach 95% by end of 2017.

Tourism

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of recent trends in (a) the level of and (b) regional variations in the level of domestic tourism.

David Evennett: The number of overnight trips in England in 2015 was up 11% on 2014, with associated spend reaching a new record of £19.6bn. In 2015, five English regions (East Midlands, West Midlands, South West, Yorkshire and the Humber and London) saw double digit growth in domestic overnight trips on the previous year.

Arts: Education

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on increasing the contribution of creative subjects to children's learning; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: My Department works closely with the Department for Education. Government believes all pupils should have access to a broad and balanced education, and the arts are an essential part of the National Curriculum.

Sports: Disability

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support Paralympic sport.

David Evennett: The Government, through UK Sport, is investing almost £73m into 18 summer Paralympic sports during the Rio 2016 cycle, an increase of 48% from London 2012, and £3.9m into 2 winter Paralympic sports during the current cycle. In addition, Sport England is investing over £170m to make sport a practical and attractive lifestyle choice for disabled people and to get more disabled people playing sport.

Broadband: Scotland

Michelle  Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for funding of broadband provision in Scotland of the UK voting to leave the EU.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Phase 1 superfast broadband delivery in Scotland has benefited from up to £20 million of European funding. Currently no significant levels of European funding are expected to be used for the Phase 2 programme in Scotland. The Rest of Scotland broadband project remains on track to achieve 96% superfast broadband coverage by end of 2017.

Culture

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of a vote to leave the EU on policies in the Culture White Paper.

Mr Edward Vaizey: We have made no assessment. The Government has been clear about its position in respect of the Referendum.

Home Office

Islam: Culture

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a list of all Islamic cultural centres in the UK primarily funded by foreign donations; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: HM Government does not collect information on the funding of religious institutions in the UK. If such institutions, in England and Wales, are registered charities with the Charity Commission and have an annual income of over £25,000, their accounts are made publically available on the charity’s entry on the Public Register of Charities, which is accessible from www.charitycommission.gov.ukIn addition to the requirement to file accounts, the Charity Commission, as the charity regulator in England and Wales, can review and inspect the financial records of charities to ensure that their trustees comply with their duty to account.

Home Office: Pay

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average hourly earnings were of her Department's (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.

Karen Bradley: Table 1 provides the median average hourly rates for all employees (Senior Civil Service and below within the Home Office) for (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.The Civil Service is changing, and our recruitment seeks to reflect the make-up and composition of our nation as a whole. Historically, BME staff were under-represented across the civil service: both in terms of previous recruitment patterns and the number and proportion in higher grades, both of these factors can contribute to the differences in average salaries.We are making progress, the proportion of BME staff in the Civil Service has risen from 9.2% in 2010 to 10.6% in 2015, but we recognise that there is still more to do.In March, the Government published its 2016 Talent Action Plan for the Civil Service. It provides a progress update on initiatives to increase diversity in the Civil Service, including cross-Government talent programmes aimed at under-represented groups.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/talent-action-plan-2016-removing-the-barriers-to-success



Median average hourly rates for all employees 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 28.5 KB)

Human Trafficking: Ports

James Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps Border Force has taken to identify and assist potential victims of trafficking and modern slavery at ports across the UK.

James Brokenshire: Combating modern slavery, which includes human trafficking, slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour, is a leading priority for Border Force. All frontline Border Force Officers have access to comprehensive guidance on modern slavery and must complete mandatory training on identifying victims of modern slavery.Additionally, Border Force has specialist teams at ports across the country which receive additional, in depth, training to increase their levels of expertise. This allows Border Force to maintain a high degree of vigilance to identify and protect those who may be a victim of modern slavery and to identify those seeking to exploit them. Border Force officers follow established processes and referring all identified child and consenting adult potential victims to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), which acts as the UK's identification and support process for victims.Border Force staff also receive mandatory training also takes places on how to refer potential victims to NRM. Working in close partnership with police forces, social services and the UK Human Trafficking Centre, Border Force also carries out intelligence led exercises to tackle the threat of trafficking at the border.

Vetting

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current average waiting time is for the completion of pre-employment checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service in (a) England and Wales and (b) London.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 06 June 2016



Performance data relating to April 2016 for the average time taken by the Disclosure and Barring Service to complete Standard and Enhanced applications is listed in the following table. (a) Based upon applicants living in England or Wales:MonthAverage Turnaround Time in DaysApr-1616(b) Based upon applicants living in London:MonthAverage Turnaround Time in DaysApr-1628

UK Border Force

Edward Argar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to increase the effectiveness of the UK Border Force as a law enforcement organisation since it was established as an independent operational command within her Department in 2012.

James Brokenshire: Since it was established as an operational command of the Home Office in 2012, a number of positive changes have been made to Border Force's working practices in order to make it a more effective law enforcement organisation. In 2012, Border Force was, for the first time, provided with an operating mandate which set out parameters for operational decision-making, including the need to maintain 100% checks on all passengers arriving at passport control at all times. Border Force has also become more intelligence-led - adept at utilising increasing volumes of advance data to make targeted interventions against potentially dangerous passengers and consignments of goods upon arrival in the UK.Other important changes include: an improvement in command and control arrangements so that Border Force can rapidly respond and adjust to evolving security threats across different locations; employing new leadership in headquarters and ports across the country to install a more security-focussed culture in the organisation and plan effective operations with partner organisations at both a national and international level. Border Force has also increased the capability of its officers to respond to security threats, by equipping all permanently employed staff working at passport control with powers and training to detain individuals that pose a threat to the public who are subject to an arrest warrant or otherwise liable to arrest.These reforms have had a transformative effect on Border Force. As well as undertaking its traditional immigration and customs roles more effectively and efficiently, it has also proved capable of meeting a range of new strategic priorities, including rapidly implementing a screening regime in response to the global ebola outbreak and being a international leader in its work to identify victims of trafficking and slavery. Furthermore, in the past year Border Force has seized nearly 8 tonnes of Class A Drugs, more than two and half times as much as in 2009/10.

Egmont Group

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress the Government has made on assisting the Egmont group to establish a Centre of Excellence for Financial Intelligence Units.

Mr John Hayes: In the Action Plan for Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Finance, published on 24 April, the Government committed to supporting increasing the international reach of law enforcement agencies and international information sharing to tackle money laundering and terrorist financing threats.At the Prime Minister's Anti-Corruption Summit on May 12, the Government announced that the UK would provide funding for the Egmont Group (the international organisation of Financial Intelligence Units) to establish a Centre of FIU Excellence and Leadership to support national Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs). The programme is intended to ensure that FIUs are able to effectively detect and recover illicit funds through managing and acting upon Suspicious Activity Reports which banks are required to provide, and to transmit intelligence safely between jurisdictions to support investigations.UK funding will provide the ability to manage and supply the programme, drawing on rostered experts from developed country FIUs to deliver it. Discussions are at a preliminary stage on the design of the content of the Centre.

Asylum

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions took place between December 2015 and May 2016 between Ministers and (b) officials of her Department with the Scottish Legal Aid Board and the Law Society of Scotland on plans to widen asylum dispersal in Scotland; and whether any further such discussions are planned.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office is currently exploring the widening of dispersal agreements across all Scottish Local Authorities on a voluntary basis.Once new dispersal agreements have been agreed and the location and likely demand for legal services is known, we will seek to meet with the Scottish Legal Aid Board and the Scottish Law Society on the proposals. Similar discussions will also be held with Migrant Help and other Non-Government Organisations to discuss provision of service and support.

Visas

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas were processed using the priority visa service in 2015.

James Brokenshire: The number of visas processed using priority visa services in 2015 is shown in the attached table. This figure includes both priority and super priority applications.Total Priority applications resolved between 01-Jan-2015 and 31-Dec-2015561,475of which Super Priority applications resolved between 01-Jan-2015 and 31-Dec-20159,400of which Priority applications resolved between 01-Jan-2015 and 31-Dec-2015552,075This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics.

Visas

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time is for settlement visas using the priority visa service.

James Brokenshire: The average processing time for settlement applications made using priority visa services between 01-Jan-2015 and 31-Dec 2015 is 7.41 days.This is a provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics.

Migration: EU Countries

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on levels of inward migration from other EU member states of (a) an economic downturn and (b) a rise in unemployment in such states.

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of prospective migrants who will be deterred from entering the UK from other EU member states upon implementation of the emergency brake.

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons she has not produced an estimate of the potential effect on inward migration from the EU of the UK's negotiated settlement with the EU; and when she plans to publish that estimate.

James Brokenshire: It has been the practice of this Government not to make such forecasts. There are numerous different factors that can affect migration flows.

Borders: France

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Managing migratory flows in Calais: joint ministerial declaration on UK/French co-operation, published on 20 August 2015, what progress has been made on implementing the measures in that declaration to reinforce border security in northern France where the UK operates a juxtaposed border control.

James Brokenshire: The UK Government has invested tens of millions of pounds to reinforce border security through infrastructure improvements at the Juxtaposed ports, and continues to work closely with the French authorities at both political and operational levels. The vast majority of the security work identified in the Joint Declaration has been completed including the installation of 52 miles worth of critical security fencing, advanced anti-intrusion measures such as infra-red cameras, thermal detection cameras and floodlighting in key areas.In addition to this the UK has funded security guards and since June 2015 doubled Border Force contractor freight searching and dog detection capability at the juxtaposed controls. To help coordinate the law enforcement response from the UK and France a joint command and control centre has been established. The investment in security by the UK, the closer coordination of our law enforcement response and the significant investment in police resources by the French Government, has significantly improved the security situation in Northern France.The UK and France regularly review security at the ports to ensure the new measures are maintained and remain effective. Furthermore, at the UK-France summit in Amiens on 3 March, the Home Secretary announced that the UK will contribute £17 million over the next financial year to joint work with France to ease migrant pressures in the Calais region and further strengthen the UK border.

Home Office: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to her Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

Karen Bradley: I refer the Hon Member to the Prime Minister's response of 25th May 2016 [37198]. This information is not collated centrally by the Department.

Asylum: Greater London

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees have been accommodated by each London borough in the last three years.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 08 June 2016



Figures on asylum seekers in receipt of Section 95 support (dispersed accommodation or subsistence only) by local authority, are published quarterly by the Home Office in the Immigration Statistics release, in table as_16q in volume 4 of the Asylum data tables. The following table gives the number of asylum seekers housed in dispersed accommodation in each London local authority, as at the end of March for the last three years.A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics January to March 2016, is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2016.



Asylum seekers housed in dispersed accommodation
(Excel SpreadSheet, 31 KB)

Asylum: Children

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to accelerate the family reunification process for unaccompanied children in Europe with family members in the UK.

James Brokenshire: The Government continues to work with key EU Member States to ensure the Dublin Regulation family reunification process works effectively.Under the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK and France have committed to ensuring that the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation are used efficiently and effectively. To assist the handling of such cases, the two Governments have established a permanent official contact group, agreed single points of contact within respective Dublin Units and we have seconded an asylum expert to the French administration to facilitate the improvement of all stages of the process. The UK and France are running regular joint communication campaigns in northern France which inform unaccompanied children and others of their right to claim asylum in France and of the family reunion process.We are also providing support to the Dublin Units in Greece and Italy bilater-ally and through European Asylum Support Office. On 4 May we announced the Government will work with local authorities on plans to resettle unaccompanied children from Europe. We are looking to transfer children who were already present in Europe before the EU-Turkey deal came into force on 20 March, where it is in their best interests.We will work closely with local authorities to implement this initiative. It is important that we ensure we fulfil our obligations to children who are already in the UK, as well as ensuring we have the right support for those who may be brought to the UK from Europe. We will also consult relevant Non-Governmental Organisations, the UNHCR, UNICEF and Member States.

Counter-terrorism

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average amount of time spent in post was for all Prevent co-ordinators who both began and left employment in the last five years.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been employed as Prevent coordinators in the last five years; and how many such people are no longer in post.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Prevent coordinator posts have been advertised in each of the last five years; and what the average number of applications received for those posts was.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office provides funding to ‘Prevent priority areas’ deemed to have a higher risk of radicalisation. Each priority area has a dedicated Prevent co-ordinator post funded by the Home Office and employed by the local authority. Local authorities in other areas may also fund their own Prevent posts. The Home Office does not hold detailed employment information on all of these posts.

Asylum: Children

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to implement the family reunification process for unaccompanied children in Europe with family in the UK.

James Brokenshire: The Government continues to work with key EU Member States to ensure the Dublin Regulation family reunification process works effectively.Under the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK and France have committed to ensuring that the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation are used efficiently and effectively. To assist the handling of such cases, the two Governments have established a permanent official contact group, agreed single points of contact within respective Dublin Units and we have seconded an asylum expert to the French administration to facilitate the improvement of all stages of the process. The UK and France are running regular joint communication campaigns in northern France which inform unaccompanied children and others of their right to claim asylum in France and of the family reunion process.We are also providing support to the Dublin Units in Greece and Italy bilaterally and through European Asylum Support Office. On 4 May we announced the Government will work with local authorities on plans to resettle unaccompanied children from Europe. We are looking to transfer children who were already present in Europe before the EU-Turkey deal came into force on 20 March, where it is in their best interests.We will work closely with local authorities to implement this initiative. It is important that we ensure we fulfil our obligations to children who are already in the UK, as well as ensuring we have the right support for those who may be brought to the UK from Europe. We will also consult relevant Non-Governmental Organisations, the UNHCR, UNICEF and Member States.

Asylum

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will develop a coordinated refugee dispersal policy with (a) all nations of the UK, (b) other government departments and (c) local government incorporating the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme, the dispersal and transfer of unaccompanied children and the Compass Contracts for accommodation of asylum seekers.

James Brokenshire: The UK Government has been co-ordinating the dispersal of asylum and resettlement schemes for many years and we will continue to ensure that all refugees are provided with appropriate care, regardless of their route to the UK.Our existing policies are aimed at ensuring an equitable distribution of asylum seekers and refugees across the country so that no individual local authority bears a disproportionate share of the burden. However, we recognise that the development of existing schemes will require an expansion of current networks and the impact on local communities and infrastructure will need to be managed carefully to ensure that no local authority is required to take more than they can support.That is why the Home Office is working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Education to ensure consultation with local authorities is consistent and co-ordinated across all resettlement and relocation programmes. The Home Office will continue to maintain an active partnership with local governments across the whole of the UK, and funds Strategic Migration Partnerships to plan for the most appropriate dispersal of asylum seekers. The partnerships consider the impact s of these different schemes so that adjustments to dispersal patterns can be made to ensure that people continue to be integrated sensitively into local communities.

Offences against Children

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many interviews with people making accusations of child abuse have been carried out by Operation Pallial under the Achieving Best Evidence guidance.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many convictions have been secured under Operation Pallial; and how many people so convicted did not have any previous convictions for similar offences.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) total, (b) police, (c) CPS and (d) court costs of Operation Pallial have been to date.

Karen Bradley: Child abuse is an horrific crime and we have been clear that if anyone has been a victim of child sexual abuse, or knows of someone who has been a victim, then they should report it to the police so that it can be thoroughly investigated. Operation Pallial is an independent investigation by the National Crime Agency. It has conducted 275 Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) interviews. A total of eight people have been convicted of one or more offences as a result of Operation Pallial investigations. Of the eight convicted so far, three had convictions for similar offences and five did not have criminal convictions for similar offences. The costs of the police operation for Operation Pallial are £3.7 million covering the financial years 2012/13 until 2015/16. The estimated costs for 2016/17 are £891,000. These costs represent the policing costs of the investigation. The Home Office does not hold information on the costs of this operation relating to the Crown Prosecution Service or the courts.

Drugs: Misuse

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that police forces have the necessary resources to tackle dealers of substances banned under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

Karen Bradley: We have worked closely with the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) to ensure that the police have the necessary resources to tackle dealers of substances banned under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.We held joint operational workshops with the NPCC for enforcement partners across the UK and the NPCC has produced guidance for officers, in consultation with the Home Office, to support enforcement of the Act’s offences. The Local Government Association has developed guidance to assist action by local authorities.In addition, we have put in place a comprehensive testing programme to fulfil the evidential requirements of the Act. For the first year of implementation, test results will be held by the Home Office’s Centre for Applied Science and Technology who will maintain a central reference bank of data. This data will be made available to forensic providers, law enforcement agencies and expert witnesses at no cost.

Assisted Voluntary Return Schemes

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to which countries her Department returns people through the assisted voluntary return programme.

James Brokenshire: The Voluntary Returns Service would work to support all those eligible for an assisted return to their country of origin. Whilst nationality does not preclude assistance, the elements of support available would depend on the circumstances of the individual and the country to which they will be returning.The Home Office seeks to support returnees to reintegrate and make a sustainable return.

Asylum: Children

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to accelerate the family reunification process for unaccompanied children in Europe with family in the UK.

James Brokenshire: The Government continues to work with key EU Member States to ensure the Dublin Regulation family reunification process works effectively.Under the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK and France have committed to ensuring that the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation are used efficiently and effectively. To assist the handling of such cases, the two Governments have established a permanent official contact group, agreed single points of contact within respective Dublin Units and we have seconded an asylum expert to the French administration to facilitate the improvement of all stages of the process. The UK and France are running regular joint communication campaigns in northern France which inform unaccompanied children and others of their right to claim asylum in France and of the family reunion process.We are also providing support to the Dublin Units in Greece and Italy bilaterally and through European Asylum Support Office. On 4 May we announced the Government will work with local authorities on plans to resettle unaccompanied children from Europe. We are looking to transfer children who were already present in Europe before the EU-Turkey deal came into force on 20 March, where it is in their best interests.We will work closely with local authorities to implement this initiative. It is important that we ensure we fulfil our obligations to children who are already in the UK, as well as ensuring we have the right support for those who may be brought to the UK from Europe. We will also consult relevant Non-Governmental Organisations, the UNHCR, UNICEF and Member States.

Slavery: Children

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in what way the provisions of the Modern Slavery Act 2016 will support child advocates.

Karen Bradley: Section 48 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 introduced independent child trafficking advocates to be available to represent and support children where there are reasonable grounds to believe they may be victims of human trafficking. It requires public authorities to recognise and pay due regard to the functions of the advocate and provide the advocate with access to information about the child so that the advocate can carry out these functions effectively.In line with the requirements of Section 48(7) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the Government laid a report before Parliament in December 2015 setting out the steps we proposed to take in relation to independent child trafficking advocates. The full report can be obtained here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-child-trafficking-advocates-trial-government-reportSince December 2015, we have worked to address issues identified during the trial. We have engaged with Members of both Houses, the offices of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and Children’s Commissioner for England. We have also sought views from the voluntary sector and statutory organisations in England and Wales. This engagement has been valuable in assessing how best to deliver an improved service for trafficked children in England and Wales.As part of this engagement, I wrote to the Chairs of the three All Party Parliamentary Groups with the strongest interest in the trial in March, saying that I would wait to receive their views in writing before making a statement to the House about how we will proceed. I have now received letters from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery and from the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner. I am reflecting on their recommendations and will provide an update to Parliament once we have had an opportunity to consider their valuable input.

Human Trafficking: Children

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to support children trafficked from abroad.

Karen Bradley: The Government recognises that children can be trafficked into this country from abroad as well as being internally trafficked. The Government does not differentiate between child victims of trafficking and has made it clear that nothing should get in the way of this incredibly vulnerable group of children receiving the support and assistance that they need as quickly as possible.That is why the Government has brought into force provisions under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to ensure that if there is uncertainty over whether a potential victim of trafficking is a child or an adult, that person is presumed to be a child and receives the appropriate support without delay.In July 2014 the Government published statutory guidance on the care of unaccompanied and trafficked children by local authorities. Statutory Guidance under Section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 is currently being drafted and will set out the identification process of a child trafficking victim to ensure all competent bodies, including local authorities, understand what they should do to safeguard children.

Hamde Abu Rahma

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason the application from Mr Hamde Abu Rahma to visit Scotland was rejected; and if she will instigate a review of that decision.

James Brokenshire: In order to safeguard an individual’s personal information and comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 the Home Office is limited in what information it can provide when the request is made by someone who is not the applicant. The Home Office is therefore unable to provide the information requested.All applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with the Immigration Rules.

Shipping: Security

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to improve the ability of Border Force to gather and exploit information to improve its performance in enforcing general maritime security; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UK Border Force: Training

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to improve levels of knowledge within Border Force about the threats and risks associated with maritime and aviation border security; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Borders: Personal Records

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has taken steps to make advance passenger information available to Border Force general maritime officers; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Undocumented Migrants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many carrier liability charges were issued to commercial transport firms, airlines, ferry companies and other operators for transporting illegal immigrants into the UK in total by (a) port and (b) firm in each of the last seven years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Children

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children arrived in the UK and claimed asylum (a) for each country of origin, (b) by each commercial company who provided transport if known, (c) at each port and (d) in total in each of the last seven years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Drugs

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Syria

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is on target to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the current Parliament.

Richard Harrington: We are continuing to work productively with local authorities and International Partners to deliver the Government’s commitment to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees by the end of this Parliament. We are on track to do this.The number resettled in a particular period will depend on a range of factors. This includes the number of referrals we have received from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the number of confirmed places we have received from local authorities that are suitable for the specific needs of those who have been accepted for resettlement. Progress on resettlement will be indicated in quarterly immigration statistics.The last set of statistics, published on 26 May 2016 showed that 1,602 Syrians were relocated to the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme between October 2015 and March 2016.

Sexual Offences

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse has been of investigations into sexual offences in (a) Wiltshire and (b) the UK in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not hold this information. It is an operational decision for chief officers to determine the best use of available resources according to local priorities and held to account by their elected Police and Crime Commissioner.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from his Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what he estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

David Mundell: I refer the hon Gentleman to the answer given by my hon Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (John Penrose) UIN 38825.

Scotland Office: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to his Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

David Mundell: I refer the hon Gentleman to the Prime Minister's response of 25 May 2016. This information is not collated centrally by the Department.

Tickets: Touting

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on steps to tackle ticket touting.

David Mundell: In October 2015, the Departments for Business, Innovation and Skills and Culture, Media and Sport commissioned Professor Michael Waterson to conduct an independent review into consumer protection measures relating to secondary ticketing facilities. Officials in the UK and Scottish Governments have been in touch during the Waterson Review process, and the Report was published on 26 May 2016. The report contains a number of recommendations for the primary and secondary ticketing markets. The Government will respond to Professor Waterson's report in due course.

HM Treasury

Treasury: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from his Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU Referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what he estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Mr David Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 8 June 2016 to Question 38811.

Married People: Tax Allowances

Fiona Bruce: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was allocated to the married couples tax allowance in 2015-16; and how much was spent on that allowance in that year.

Fiona Bruce: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been allocated in the current financial year to the married couples tax allowance; and how much he expects the Government to spend on that allowance in this financial year.

Mr David Gauke: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) revised the forecast for Marriage Allowance at Budget 2016. Details were published in the OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook in March 2016. The Government remains committed to recognising marriage through the tax system. Marriage Allowance could benefit eligible couples by up to £432 this year if couples also backdate their claim to 2015-16. HM Revenue and Customs is continuing to look at ways to increase take-up of Marriage Allowance, including through further advertising, to ensure all eligible couples are able to take advantage of the allowance.

Taxation: Developing Countries

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's policy is on requests from developing countries with whom the UK has taxation treaties to renegotiate the terms of such treaties.

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's policy is on requests from taxation treaty partners for changes to the levels of source taxation in such treaties.

Mr David Gauke: The UK responds positively to requests from developing countries for renegotiation of tax treaties. The UK recognises that treaty partners may now want higher levels of source taxation than are contained in treaties negotiated many years ago. However, the eventual level of source state taxation in a renegotiated treaty reflects the balance of the agreed priorities.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Department for Energy and Climate Change: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from her Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU Referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what she estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Amber Rudd: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary (Minister for Constitutional Reform) in the Cabinet Office on Wednesday 8th June to Question 38811: [insert link to answer here, link to question is http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-05-26/38811/]

Nuclear Power Stations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will (a) list the titles of and (b) publish on her Department's website all reports prepared by (i) officials of her Department and (ii) contractors for her Department since May 2015 on options for financing new nuclear power plants.

Andrea Leadsom: The department has retained advisers in relation to this matter, however any reports they have prepared are commercially sensitive.

Sizewell B Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information she has been provided by the Office for Nuclear Regulation to demonstrate the safety of Sizewell B nuclear plant restarting after in-service inspection of the reactor pressure vessel undertaken by EDF; and what assessment she has made of the implications for that process of hydrogen flaking present in the RPV Doel 3 and Tihange 2 reactors in Belgium.

Andrea Leadsom: During Sizewell B’s periodic shutdown, inspectors from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) examined the Licensee’s arrangements for maintenance activities, reviewed test and inspection records and inspected the plant and equipment. A thorough examination (or in-service inspection) of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) was completed by EDF to confirm that it remains in good condition. An ONR team of technical specialists examined the results of the in-service inspections and they are satisfied that they demonstrate the continued integrity of the RPV and that the hydrogen flaking present in the Doel 3 and Tihange 2 reactors in Belgium is not evident at Sizewell B. ONR inspectors did not identify any issues that would affect the safety case for the restart of the Sizewell B reactor and its safe operation up to the next planned statutory periodic shutdown in 2017, and issued clearance for it to restart on 31 May 2016. ONR expects to publish its Project Assessment Report, detailing this decision, on its website.

Hinkley Point Power Stations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the oral evidence given by the Minister of State for Energy to the Energy and Climate Change Committee on 24 May 2016, at Question 200, what the basis is for the Minister's statement that the case brought by the government of Austria in the European Court on the European Commission decision on state aid for the Hinkley Point reactor has no merit; and whether that statement refers to lack of legal or of political merit.

Andrea Leadsom: The UK Government has intervened in the legal challenge brought by Austria against the European Commission’s State aid decision for Hinkley Point C. We have always been confident that the Commission’s decision is legally robust and, as a party to the proceedings, we have now seen the legal arguments made by Austria in their pleadings to the European General Court. It is on this basis that we do not consider that Austria has submitted a challenge of any merit. We consider that the Austrian Government, although following the correct legal procedures in challenging certain aspects of the State aid decision through the Court, has been motivated by its political stance on the future of nuclear more generally.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the Civil Nuclear Constabulary conducts an annual survey of its staff.

Andrea Leadsom: The Civil Nuclear Constabulary has undertaken surveys of its staff in previous years but these have not been on a regular annual basis. The last survey undertaken was a Wellbeing Survey conducted in May 2015 and a general all staff survey is planned for 2017/18. It is the Civil Nuclear Constabulary’s intention to run all staff surveys bi-annually in the future.

Cabinet Office

Queen's Speech

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Gracious Speech is printed on vellum.

Matthew Hancock: According to long standing practice the copy of the speech printed for the State Opening of Parliament is printed on high quality archival paper.

Anti-corruption Summit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which countries attended the Anti-Corruption Summit on 12 May 2016.

Matthew Hancock: 44 countries (including the UK) attended the Anti-Corruption Summit on 12 May. A attach a list.



Excel List of Countries for Member 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 15.27 KB)

Companies: Anguilla and Guernsey

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 11 May 2016 to Question 36368, what timescale Anguilla and Guernsey have given for putting in place central registers of beneficial ownership or similarly effective systems.

Matthew Hancock: The new arrangements agreed with Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories with finance centres, giving UK law enforcement and tax authorities quick and unrestricted access to beneficial ownership information on corporate and legal entities incorporated in these jurisdictions, must be in place by June 2017. UK law enforcement authorities will, however, work with these jurisdictions to ensure that the spirit of the arrangements is respected immediately.Anguilla committed to these arrangements via an Exchange of Notes with the UK on 19 April. The signing of the arrangement with Guernsey is expected shortly following their recent general election and formation of a new government. Implementation of the arrangement is anticipated to follow the same timescale as above.

Prime Minister: Pay

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average hourly earnings were of 10 Downing Street's (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average hourly earnings were of his Department's (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.

Matthew Hancock: The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.Cabinet Office staff are paid an annual salary, not on the basis of an hourly rate.The Department uses a grading structure to determine annual salary rates. This is underpinned by Job Evaluation and Grading Support (JEGS), an analytical job evaluation tool which meets all requirements of legislation and EHRC statutory codes of practice on Equal Pay. The use of JEGS and its application in determining the appropriate grade for a role enables us to determine where employees are doing equal work based on “work rated as equivalent.

Government Digital Service: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the amount spent on non-payroll staff in the Government Digital Service in 2015-16.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 06 June 2016



A figure for spend on non-payroll staff in the Government Digital Service in 2015-16 will be available after Cabinet Office Accounts are audited and published, which is planned in the summer.

Wales Office

Wales Office: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from his Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what he estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Alun Cairns: I refer the hon Gentleman to the answer given by my hon Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (John Penrose) UIN 38825.

Wales Office: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to his Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

Alun Cairns: I refer the hon Member to the Prime Minister’s response of 25 May 2016. This information is not collated centrally by the Department.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Research

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was spent on research by her Department in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Research and development (R&D), analysis and monitoring and surveillance provide important input into evidence for decision-making, ensuring Defra’s polices are based on a sound, comprehensive understanding of current evidence. It helps us find new policy solutions and identify and tackle future issues. The term ‘evidence’ encompasses material from a variety of disciplines – science research, statistics, economics, social research or operational research, and geographical information. Core Defra’s spend in ‘evidence’, including its share of Research & Development (R&D), during the last five years is summarised in the table below. YearCore Defra total evidence spend Core Defra R&D spend (within the evidence total)2010/11£209m£106m2011/12£199m£110m2012/13£189m£101m2013/14£149m£91m2014/15£123m£71m These figures include work commissioned by core Defra from its laboratory agencies, namely the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; the Food and Environment Research Agency and the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Due to both financial factors and wider changes in the context for how research and innovation are being organised (e.g. as set out in the Higher Education White Paper), Defra’s approach is evolving more towards that of consumer rather than commissioner of research. Defra’s role will be to set out its key evidence needs and work with providers to co-design research and other evidence, increasingly looking to the wider stakeholder community to deliver the necessary evidence. For that to work effectively Defra will strengthen relationships with research councils, other research funders, other government departments and other overseas governments.

Low Emission Zones

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what requirements are in place to ensure that local authorities seeking to introduce a low emission zone follow government guidance when so doing; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The national air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide we published last December set out that we would consult on a framework for Clean Air Zones later this year. Clean Air Zones encompass the Low Emission Zone approach of discouraging access to more polluting vehicles but will also act as a focus for integrating wider action to improve air quality. For example, they will bring together action to accelerate the transition to ultra low emission vehicles and innovative approaches to improving air quality and will support local growth. The framework will be non-statutory guidance which will set out the important principles that need to be consistent in how Clean Air Zones should be implemented, such as which vehicle standards to apply. In this way it will seek to ensure that Zones are implemented in the same way by local authorities across England.

Litter

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what date she plans for the National Litter Strategy to be launched.

Rory Stewart: Defra and the Department for Communities and Local Government are working on the Litter Strategy for England to improve the way we all tackle the scourge of litter. We will publish the Strategy this year and a great deal of work will be taken forward in the coming months.

Rural Development Programme

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the complexity of the rules and requirements for applications under LEADER 5 on the take-up of that scheme.

George Eustice: All 80 LEADER Local Action Groups have started to invite applications for funding. The total LEADER budget for 2014-20 is £138 million. Since the LEADER Programme was launched in October 2015, 1,629 outline applications, worth £51.3 million, have been received. 974 projects have been endorsed to go to full application, with a potential value of almost £30 million. 306 full applications have been received seeking £7.7 million and 83 applications have been approved with a value of almost £2.3 million.

Rural Development Programme: Devon

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications for grants under LEADER 5 North Devon Plus have been (a) received and (b) granted in Torridge and North Devon.

George Eustice: The Torridge and North Devon LEADER Local Action Group (LAG) has a budget of c£2.3 million to fund its contribution to delivering the Rural Development Programme for England for 2014-20. Torridge and North Devon LAG has received 39 outline applications for grants. 25 of these, seeking a total of £577,353, have been invited to submit a full application, with nine full applications, seeking a total of £248,006, having been received so far. Three projects have so far been approved for a total value of £50,545.

Greyhounds: Exports

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what records the Government maintains on the destinations of greyhounds that are exported abroad for commercial use.

George Eustice: The Animal and Plant Health Agency record the number of consignments and destinations of dogs exported commercially to the European Union but do not routinely record the breed of dog being exported. Export health certificates for dogs to non-EU countries record the destination but do not specify whether the dog is being exported commercially or the breed of dog.

Rural Development Programme

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the rules and requirements for LEADER 5 do not deter individuals and businesses from pursuing applications under that scheme.

George Eustice: LEADER funding is delivered through 80 LEADER Local Action Groups (LAGs). LAGs can fund a wide range of projects under a broad set of priorities that is consistent across England. From this, LAGs have developed their own local plans to meet local needs. Defra and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will, with representatives of LAGs, continue to review lessons learned from implementation of the current programme. This includes looking at the potential to simplify and streamline the application process for applicants, LAGs and the RPA.

Animal Welfare

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the trade of (a) greyhounds and (b) other animals to countries with little or no protection for animals rights.

George Eustice: Animal welfare regulations in third countries are the responsibility of those countries. However, we encourage other countries to improve or maintain welfare standards including through being a member of international organisations such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). EU Member States are subject to animal welfare regulations covered by EU law.

Climate Change

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential (a) negative and (b) positive effects on (i) society and (ii) human health of an increase in air temperatures arising from climate change.

Rory Stewart: The first UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA): Government Report was published in 2012 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-climate-change-risk-assessment-government-report. Along with consideration of other climate hazards, it assesses the risks and opportunities of warmer temperatures on society and human health. Work is underway on the second CCRA, which will include an up-to-date review of evidence on the effects of climate change including changes in temperature. The second CCRA Government Report and the associated evidence report will be published in January next year. The Department of Health also carries out assessments of climate change impacts on health, the latest of which is called The Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK, published in 2012 and available to view at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-health-effects-in-the-uk.

Primates: Pets

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 17 November 2015 to Question 15358, what recent progress has been made on the review into the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Privately Kept Non-Human Primates.

George Eustice: We are continuing to consider which aspects of the current Code of Practice might need revisiting.

Department of Health

Perinatal Mortality

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will review the (a) commissioning framework and (b) tariff payment for bereavement care for families who have suffered a stillbirth or neonatal death.

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of differences between bereavement support services for families who have suffered a stillbirth or neonatal death commissioned by clinical commissioning groups and such services provided by hospital trusts; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: A report in 2015 on Term, singleton, normally-formed, antepartum stillbirth from Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK found that 60% of parents currently receive a good standard of bereavement care but this is not the case for everyone and we are continuing to consider the actions that should be taken to improve bereavement care across England. NHS England has established a Maternity Transformation Programme Board, this will bring key partners together to oversee the implementation of a broad range of policies to deliver significant improvements to maternity care in England, including implementation of the recommendations of Better Births, Improving outcomes of maternity services in England (2016). The Transformation Programme includes work on supporting local transformation of maternity services, promoting best practice for safer care, increasing choice and reforming the payment system.In Delivering the Forward View: NHS planning guidance 2016/17-2020/21 localities have been asked to produce “Sustainability and Transformation Plans” to show how local services should transform and ensure they are sustainable over the next five years. As part of this, local health economies have been asked to plan how they will transform their maternity services in line with the vision outlined in Better Births, Improving outcomes of maternity services in England. NHS England will be reviewing how well commissioners are planning for delivery of this vision in signing-off plans; and how well those plans are being put into action and on an ongoing basis through its Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Assessment Framework, and annual Ofsted-style rating of each CCG on its commissioning of maternity services.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that training in the diagnosis and treatment of ME forms part of medical students' training.

Ben Gummer: It is the responsibility of the professional regulators, such as the General Medical Council (GMC), to set the standards and outcomes for education and training and approve training curricula to ensure newly qualified healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. Higher Education Institutions are responsible for ensuring the programmes they provide allow healthcare students to meet the outcomes set out by the regulators upon graduation. The royal colleges, for example the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Surgeons, also have responsibility for developing curricula for doctors and nurses, in particular postgraduate curricula. Health Education England works with bodies that set curricula such as the GMC and the royal colleges to seek to ensure training meets the needs of patients.

Baby Care Units

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of (a) special care neonatal and level three cots and (b) transfers between neonatal units and between neonatal intensive care units.

Ben Gummer: The NHS Toolkit for High Quality Neonatal Services (2009) and NHS England’s service specification for Neonatal Intensive Care Transport (2013) sets out standards that neonatal services in England should be meeting to make sure babies born premature or sick get the care they need and deserve. For those babies who are born sick or premature, NHS England commissions Neonatal Care from 165 neonatal units. These units are organised and supported by 13 Operational Delivery Networks with well-defined service standards for all levels of neonatal care within the NHS England Maternity, Children and Young People Managed Clinical Networks. These are intended to provide appropriate levels of care for all babies identified with problems both before and following delivery. Neonatal transport services are a vital part of care for premature and sick babies, to ensure that babies can be moved quickly for the right care in the right place for their needs.We know that that there is still more to do to ensure neonatal services are consistent across the country and that is why the Neonatal Clinical Reference Group at NHS England has committed to review the findings of the ‘Bliss Baby report 2015’, (http://www.bliss.org.uk/babyreport) and consider plans for improvement in neonatal services.

Junior Doctors

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many junior doctors were employed by the NHS in (a) London and (b) England in each of the last five years.

Ben Gummer: The information is shown in the following table: Doctors in Training as at 30 September between 2011 and 2015 in England and London.YearEnglandLondon201150,05911,684201250,31811,902201351,01311,985201451,68612,136201551,30811,830Source: Health & Social Care Information Centre Notes: The figures include Specialty Registrars, Core Medical Training, Core Dental Training, Foundation Doctor Years 1 and 2.

Nurses: Training

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with nursing care providers on the number of clinical placements available for nursing students.

Ben Gummer: The Government, through Health Education England (HEE), commissions and funds the numbers of clinical placements assessed as required to produce sufficient healthcare graduates for the National Health Service. This includes placements for nursing students. HEE work closely with organisations providing education to ensure clinical placements are available, safe and provide the best possible education and training experience.

Health Professions: Training

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of ending the NHS bursary system on (a) female, (b) BME, and (c) older students.

Ben Gummer: A preliminary Equality Analysis was published alongside the public consultation document on 7 April 2016. This document assesses the potential effect of the replacement of National Health Service bursaries by student loans for all the protected characteristics of the Public Sector Equality Duty (Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010).The Equality Analysis and the government consultation can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changing-how-healthcare-education-is-funded

Department of Health: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from his Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what he estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Jane Ellison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 8 June 2016 to Question 38811.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to address barriers faced by people with ME in accessing care and support; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The commissioning of services for people with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), is a local matter. To support the local NHS in shaping services for people with CFS/ME, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a clinical guideline on the management of CFS/ME in adults and children, which set outs best practice on the care, treatment and support of people with the condition. Although there is no cure for CFS/ME, there are treatments that may help to ease symptoms. The NICE guideline on CFS/ME recommends treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy and graded exercise therapy approaches, which have the clearest research evidence of benefit. However, the guideline is clear that there is no one form of treatment to suit every patient. Treatment approaches will not be appropriate for all patients and the needs and preferences of patients should be taken into account. Shared decision-making between patients and healthcare professionals should take place during diagnosis and all phases of care. Furthermore, patients should be offered information about local and national self-help groups and support groups for people with CFS/ME and their carers. NICE last reviewed the guidance with its stakeholders, including CFS/ME charities during 2013. The review found no update was required. The full guideline may be viewed on the NICE website at the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg53

Food: Fraud

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) incidents have been reported to trading standards teams and (b) prosecutions there have been related to food and drink products substituted with a cheaper alternative in each of the last three years.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) incidents have been reported to trading standards teams of and (b) prosecutions have taken place for making false statements about the source of ingredients in each of the last three years.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) incidents have been reported to trading standards teams of and (b) prosecutions have taken place for knowingly selling goods past their sell by date in each of the last three years.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) incidents have been reported to trading standards teams of and (b) prosecutions have taken place for recycling animal by-products back into the food chain in each of the last three years.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) incidents have been reported to trading standards teams of and (b) prosecutions have taken place for packing and selling beef and poultry with an unknown origin in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: Monitoring food businesses to ensure compliance with legislation on food labelling and composition is the responsibility of county councils, unitary authorities, the London Boroughs and some but not all metropolitan borough councils. These local authorities are also responsible for taking enforcement action, including prosecutions, where non-compliance is found. Data are reported to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on the number of food and drink analyses undertaken in relation to compositional issues and labelling and presentation issues:23,599 analyses were undertaken in 2014/15, 16,899 for compositional issues and 6,700 for labelling and presentation issues.29,324 analyses were undertaken in 2013/14, 19,386 for compositional issues and 9,938 for labelling and presentation issues.26,940 analyses were undertaken in 2012/13, 16,982 for compositional issues and 9,958 for labelling and presentation issues. Data are also reported to the FSA on the total number of prosecutions concluded for food standards issues. This includes action in relation to composition, labelling and presentation but also for other issues such as chemical contamination. In 2014/15, 2013/14 and 2012/13 respectively, 75, 57 and 78 United Kingdom food establishments were subject to prosecution. The FSA has recently established a central register of successful food law prosecutions. Analysis of data collected for the first year of operation of the register is not yet complete, but in future it will provide more definitive data on prosecutions for offences of this nature.

E. coli

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the relationship between hand hygiene compliance levels across the NHS and rates of E.coli bacteraemia in 2015.

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of potential links between hand hygiene compliance levels across the NHS and rates of C. Difficile bacteraemia in 2015.

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of potential links between hand hygiene compliance levels across the NHS and rates of MSSA bacteraemia in 2015.

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures his Department is implementing to emphasise the importance of hand hygiene in the prevention of infection in hospitals.

Ben Gummer: Tackling healthcare associated infections is complex and requires a strong patient safety system that integrates cleanliness, infection prevention and control and antibiotic use. Hand hygiene is an important component and we continuously review and enhance national measures, systems and guidance. For example hand hygiene references in The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice for prevention and control of infections and related guidance, were strengthened when it was revised in 2015. It will also form part of forthcoming guidance on reducing Gram negative infections such as E. coli.Auditing of hand hygiene is a local responsibility and information on hand hygiene compliance is not collected centrally. Therefore, no national assessment has been made of the potential links between hand hygiene compliance levels and the above infections.

Carers

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the financial effect on people caring for family members of the closure of the Independent Living Fund and the introduction of the Care Act 2014.

Alistair Burt: The Independent Living Fund (ILF) closed on 30 June 2015, with funding and responsibility transferring to local authorities in England and the Devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales. The Department has not made an assessment of the financial impact on those caring for family members, and at this stage does not plan to do so. However, the Department has issued statutory guidance to local authorities to support this transfer of responsibility and to prevent any former ILF user having their care interrupted during the transfer. I have recently reminded local authorities of the need to comply with this guidance. In addition, the Care Act 2014 introduced important new rights for carers, and placed a duty on local authorities to assess adults who appear to have care and support needs and to meet those needs which meet the national eligibility criteria. The Government has committed to publishing a new cross-Government National Carers Strategy before the end of 2016. A wide-ranging call for evidence is now underway to underpin the development of the Strategy, which will gather evidence from stakeholders, and carers themselves, on their experience of caring including issues of personal finance and the support they receive from local authorities.

Neuroendocrine Cancer

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of treatment and provision of support through the NHS for patients of neuroendocrine cancer.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has made an assessment of the need for national treatment decisions as to the commissioning of systemic therapies for neuroendocrine carcinomas. Based on this assessment, it has discussed the issue with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NICE has agreed to do a multiple technology appraisal of lanreotide, sunitinib, everolimus and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. NICE guidance on these treatments is due in the summer of 2017. In the meantime, sunitinib is available from the Cancer Drugs Fund and lanreotide is available through routine commissioning.

Neuromuscular Disorders: South East

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase provision of neuromuscular care advisor support in (a) London and (b) the South East.

Jane Ellison: The provision of neurological services is a matter for NHS England. Since 1 April 2013, NHS England has been responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services, which includes services for patients with neuromuscular disorders. NHS England has published a service specification for neurological care, which sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. The specification can be found at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf NHS England has advised that it commissions two services that provide support to people with neurological conditions: Firstly a diagnostic service for rare muscular disorders at specified centres:- The limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (Newcastle)- The congenital muscular dystrophies and myopathies (London – Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre)- The congenital myasthenic syndromes (Oxford)- The muscle channelopathies (London – Institute of Neurology) These providers are required to provide a diagnostic service and support to the referring provider who has on-going responsibility for implementing care. The second are the services commissioned through Neurosciences: specialist neurology specification. Under this specification providers are required to provide neuromuscular nurses and a neuromuscular care co-ordinator. NHS England commissions the following providers to offer neurology services: Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Barts Health NHS Trust and Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.

NHS: Translation Services

Mr Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the total NHS budget was spent on translation services in 2015-16; and how much was spent on translation services in each NHS (a) trust and (b) foundation trust in 2015-16.

Alistair Burt: This information is not held centrally.

Mefloquine

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions GPs have issued for Lariam in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt: Information is not collected centrally on the number of prescriptions issued. However, information is available on the number of prescription items dispensed for Lariam. Number of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England, for Lariam, 2010 to 2015YearItems (000’s)201014.5201115.6201217.7201318.0201417.6201516.1Source: Prescription Cost Analysis provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre

Smoking: Obesity

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential link between stopping smoking and obesity levels.

Jane Ellison: The Department has made no such assessment. Smoking and obesity are both significant public health challenges and the Government is taking action to tackle both. We will publish a new tobacco control plan to reduce smoking rates even further and our Childhood Obesity Strategy will be published this summer.

Continuing Care

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to ensure that applications for Continuing Healthcare are dealt with swiftly and efficiently.

Alistair Burt: From 2015/16 NHS Continuing Healthcare (NHS CHC) has been included in the assurance processes for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). This will help NHS England be assured of CCG compliance with the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care (November 2012) (revised) (the National Framework). One of the priority areas for the Assurance process to focus on is that the ‘Assessment and Decision making processes are lawful, high quality and timely’. This ensures that CCG policies and procedures are compliant with the National Framework as well as the consistency of NHS CHC assessments across the National Health Service. NHS England will work closely with CCGs where it has been identified, via the assurance process, that further support is needed.

HIV Infection

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the total cost to the NHS of each new HIV infection.

Jane Ellison: In 2014/15, NHS England provided over £553 million of funding for the care and treatment of around 78,000 diagnosed HIV patients. A mathematical equation using these two figures would not result in an accurate cost for each new HIV infection as treatment varies according to clinical need and other factors such as age.

Cancer

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the average waiting time between cancer diagnosis and treatment in each of the last 10 years.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not hold data on the average waiting time between cancer diagnosis and treatment. NHS England collects data on cancer waiting times and these data are published on their website. The data comprise of organisational performance against operational standards that support waiting time commitments laid out in the NHS Constitution. These include the standard that 96% of patients should begin first definitive treatment for all cancers within a maximum of 31 days from diagnosis. A national time series can be found at the link below: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/02/Cancer-Waiting-Times-National-Time-Series-Oct-2009-Mar-2016-Provider-based.xlsx

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will arrange for the Chief Executive of West Midlands Ambulance Service to send a reply to the hon. Member for Walsall North to his letter of 9 May 2016; and if he will ascertain for what reason there was no acknowledgment or substantive reply to that letter.

Ben Gummer: This information is not available centrally. This information may be obtained from West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. We have written to Sir Graham Meldrum, Chair of the Trust, informing him of the MP’s enquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

NHS: Coroners

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2016 to Question 38058, if he will make it his policy to collect centrally information on the costs incurred by the NHS for legal advice and representation at inquests by cause of death.

Ben Gummer: The amount spent on legal advice and representation is entirely a matter for local National Health Service organisations. There are no plans to introduce a central information collection for this information as the Department continues to work to reduce the burden of centralised data collection on the NHS.

Coeliac Disease

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the NHS's policy is on prescribing gluten-free food items to coeliacs; and whether any changes have recently been made to the allowance for such items.

Alistair Burt: Gluten-free foods are available on National Health Service prescription to patients with established gluten-sensitive enteropathies. The Department provides general practitioners (GPs) and other prescribers with a list of recommended gluten-free products to help patients, including those with coeliac disease, to manage their condition but does not issue guidance on the number of units that should be prescribed. Prescribing decisions are a matter for GPs and other prescribers. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) set local guidelines on the number of units to be prescribed for their patients, depending upon age, sex and individual clinical circumstances. A national charity – Coeliac UK – publishes guidelines on the dietary requirements for coeliac patients which can help inform CCG local decisions. GPs should always satisfy themselves that the medicines or other substances they consider appropriate for their patients can be safely prescribed and that patients are adequately monitored.

NHS: Logos

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2016 to Question 38480, whether his Department is taking steps in response to use of the NHS logo by the Vote Leave Campaign.

George Freeman: Vote Leave is not authorised to use the National Health Service trademark, or an adaptation of it.The Department has sought legal advice and has been in contact with the Vote Leave campaign about misuse of the NHS brand.

Health Professions: Training

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2016 to Question 37840, what discussions he had with (a) the Chief Nursing Officer for England and (b) the Chief Executive of NHS England about replacing bursaries; and what views those officials put forward in those discussions.

Ben Gummer: In the course of Government business, Ministers meet senior NHS England officials including the Chief Nursing Officer for England and the Chief Executive of NHS England on a regular basis to discuss policy formulation and current issues relating to the National Health Service.

Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 20 of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, published in February 2016, what steps he is taking to oversee implementation of the recommendations of that report.

Alistair Burt: The Government is working with delivery partners to carefully consider the Taskforce’s recommendations and aims to publish a strategic Implementation Plan in the autumn that will set out how Government and partners will deliver the recommendations. This will include detail of the governance and reporting arrangements.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made to date on Recommendation 19 of the NHS England Five Year Forward View for Mental Health.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made to date on Recommendation 2 of the NHS England Five Year Forward View for Mental Health.

Alistair Burt: The Government is working with delivery partners to carefully consider the Taskforce’s recommendations and aims to publish a strategic Implementation Plan in the autumn that will set out how Government and partners will deliver the recommendations.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37371, how many people are in the team with specific responsibility for those areas of policy on children and young people's mental health for which he is accountable.

Alistair Burt: The Department’s team with specific responsibility for those areas of policy on children and young people’s mental health for which the Secretary of State for Health is accountable consists of eleven people.

NHS Improvement

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 6 June 2016 to Questions 37441 and 38348, why North Middlesex Hospital is not being supported by the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team via the Emergency Care Improvement Programme.

Ben Gummer: We are advised by NHS Improvement that North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust was not supported by the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team (ECIST) during 2015/16 as it did not fall within the criteria at the time of selection for enrolment in the Emergency Care Improvement Programme.However, following concerns regarding the Emergency Department waiting time performance at the Trust, we are aware that NHS Improvement and NHS England jointly arranged a review of the system’s emergency care pathway by the North West Utilisation Management Unit.We understand that in response to the findings the system has developed a ‘safer, faster, better’ programme to address issues across the pathway.We are informed that the Trust requested support from ECIST at the end of April 2016. A tailored support programme is currently being developed. This will include visits from clinicians and improvement managers from ECIST.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2016 to Question 37876, what (a) number and (b) proportion of penalty charge notices issued between January and December 2015 related only to medical exemption certificates.

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2016 to Question 37876, what (a) number and (b) proportion of total penalty charge notices issued for invalid medical exemption certificates between January 2015 and December 2015 were subsequently retracted when the patient proved their right to exemption.

Alistair Burt: Between January and December 2015, a total of 34,142 penalty charge notices were issued to patients declaring they held a valid medical exemption certificate, which the National Health Service Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) was unable to verify. This equated to 7.92% of all penalty charge notices issued. During the same period, a total of 9,170 of these were subsequently retracted when the patient proved their right to exemption. This equated to 26.86% of all penalty charge notices issued for medical exemption certificates. Often the reason the penalty charge notice is retracted is because the patient has not informed the NHSBSA of a change of address or surname. This means the record of the medical exemption does not match the patient information on the prescription form. If a patient provides details of a valid medical exemption certificate, the penalty charge notice is retracted and the medical exemption record is updated to ensure further notices are not issued in error. Following the introduction of prescription charge exemption checking, it became apparent some people receiving penalty charge notices had a qualifying medical condition, but had not applied for a medical exemption certificate. In response, a new process was introduced in early spring 2015. This means that if someone submits a valid application for a medical or maternity exemption certificate within 60 days from date of the penalty charge notice, the outstanding penalty charge is cancelled but the prescription charge is still recovered.